Dozens of students and community members, equipped with signs still legible in the dwindling twilight cast over the Main Quadrangle at the University of Chicago protested against sexual violence on campus. The chant of “We are Jane Doe” clashed against the school’s hourly bells playing over the grassy area, a rallying car that echoed across the quad.
With posters like “We deserve a rape-free campus” and “protect survivors, not rapists” on display, demonstrators stood for an hour Wednesday night in the communal space on the Hyde Park campus and called on the university to condemn sexual violence and take steps to prevent it, weeks after two women alleged being sexually assaulted at two different fraternities nearby.
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The demonstration comes in the wake of two allegations of sexual assault at fraternity parties close to the school. Earlier this month, a woman alleged she was sexually assaulted on Oct. 11 while at a party at Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house, according to a police report about that incident obtained by the baiduhai. The next week, a second allegation arose, in which a woman alleged she was assaulted during a Feb. 7 party at Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house, according to a lawsuit filed earlier in the month against the fraternity’s national organization and local chapter.
The allegations and protest come amid a national discussion about sexual violence on campus ignited by events at Cornell University, where a woman last month filed a lawsuit accusing seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of sexually assaulting her two years before while at the fraternity in 2024. The case has sparked widespread responses from students on campus, including scrutiny of safety at colleges and universities, fraternity and Greek life culture and institutional responsibility when it comes to sexual violence.
The university previously stated that fraternities are not formally affiliated with the institution, though the Alpha Delta Phi house sits among university academic and residential buildings, closer to the main quad than several freshman dormitories and visible from where demonstrators stood Wednesday night, as multiple speakers pointed out.
Speaker and U. of C. fourth-year student Ella Fast acknowledged that while not every sexual assault occurs at fraternities, she added that fraternities being described as “off-campus” is a “misleading and geographically confusing distinction.”
Fast and other speakers outlined demands for the U. of C. to answer by Nov. 20, including the administration revising existing disciplinary policy to establish mandatory minimum consequences for those found responsible of sexual violence, designing a new mandatory sexual education and sexual assault awareness course, hiring a third-party sexual violence prevention specialist team to conduct an audit of the U. of C. Police Department, the U. of C. Title IX office, and student conduct practices when it comes to sexual assault, and more.
In a statement to the Tribune Wednesday night, university spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan wrote that sexual misconduct violates U. of C. policies and standards of its community, and that the university approaches reports of sexual misconduct “extremely seriously, with care and support for victims.”
“Cases referred to the University-wide Disciplinary Committee are decided by faculty, staff, and students specifically trained to resolve complaints under the Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct,” the statement read. “The University is committed to continuously evaluating and seeking ways to improve its disciplinary policies and training programs aimed at reducing harmful conduct. It welcomes input from all those, including students, who share the goal of promoting mutual care and respect for each other.”
Still, Fast called on students to continue advocating against sexual violence even if public attention on the issue dwindles.
“We cannot pick and choose which days we will support Jane Doe. We must collectively and actively support and fight with her and all those like her,” Fast said. “…We cannot let today be the only time we take action. Our support for survivors cannot end with one rally, one news cycle, one report, one lawsuit, or one email from the university.”
For Seazen Lu, a second-year neuroscience student at the university who held a sign declaring “Down with the patriarchy and its rape culture,” the demonstration was a chance to make it clear to the university that the community won’t stand for sexual violence on college campuses. To Lu, the reports of sexual violence have been “disheartening.”
“I thought UChicago was a pretty safe place that cared about its students, but the recent things the administration has been doing – or has not been doing – has showed me that sort of all it cares about really is its reputation and its ranking,” Lu said. “Part of the reason I’m here at this protest is to at least do my part to make sure that they care about this problem.”
Yvette Hankish, a U. of C. second-year business economics and creative writing student, shared a similar sentiment with the Tribune while clutching a sign reading “Shame on rapists, enablers, and those who don’t care.” Hankish added that it’s “frustrating to know that something like that could happen to me. It could happen to someone I know. It has happened to people I know.”
“We’re angry. This huge crowd of people, every single person came here because they wanted to make sure that their voices were heard,” Hankish said. “I’ve heard from many other people that they are sick and tired, and people are tired of having to protest this. The burden shouldn’t fall on us to be protesting. The university should be taking accountability for this and all of these demands.”