Frat Party Drugging Reports At Northwestern Prompt Demands For Abolition Of Greek Life

EVANSTON, IL — As protestors call for the abolition of fraternities at Northwestern University in the wake of reports that multiple people were drugged at on-campus frat parties last week, one of the attendees who said they were drugged says she left Evanston Hospital "feeling more violated than when I had arrived."

Sophomore Isabel Podolsky said in an opinion piece in the Daily Northwestern that she was hospitalized after being dosed with an unknown substance at Alpha Epsilon Pi, or AEPi, 584 Lincoln St., on Thursday night.

Podolsky said she first had two drinks, then drank two sips of a supposedly non-alcoholic beverage that someone had offered her before realizing she had been drugged a half-hour later. After being taken to Evanston Hospital, she said she asked for a blood test to find out what drugs were in her system, but staff refused.

"The recurring theme of my hospital stay? The staff didn’t believe me when I said I was drugged. They told me I 'probably just couldn’t hold my liquor.' My discharge papers list 'alcohol intoxication' as my reason for admittance," Podolsky said. "Though there are many things I don’t know about that night, I can affirm that I was not drunk, and I am horrified that my words were not taken at face value. This is why victims do not come forward."

One of the anonymous posts on a social media account dedicated to abolishing fraternities at Northwestern was attributed Sunday to another person who was "roofied" at AEPi.

"I'm not going to press charges against the individual who drugged me because I just want this all to be over," said an unnamed sophomore. "All I'm asking for is support and solidarity. And more importantly, I want to see the dismantling of the system that allowed this heinous act to be committed against me and others."

According to an alert from the university's private police department, more than one person at a gathering that night at the frat house "alleged they were drugged without consent."

On Saturday, a pair of university vice presidents issued a joint statement announcing that another nonconsensual drugging had been reported at the house of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, or SAE, at 2325 Sheridan Road, and that all social and recruitment events at fraternities would be suspended until at least Oct. 17.

Then on Sunday, protestors gathered at the two fraternity houses where the drugging incidents were reported, with many holding signs calling for the abolition of "Greek life" at Northwestern. According to the Daily Northwestern, there were about 2,000 students in attendance.

AEPi representatives on Sunday issued a statement in response to the allegations.

“Alpha Epsilon Pi is horrified by these stories and our members are cooperating fully with the University’s investigation in order to find the responsible individuals," it said. "If proven guilty, those perpetrators should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

Representatives of SAE's national headquarters, located at 1856 Sheridan Road, have issued a cease and desist order against its Northwestern chapter, which also faced allegations of drugging at a party in January 2017.

Following an investigation that year, the university announced it would not take further action against SAE or another unspecified fraternity. But SAE was later suspended for violating the terms of its probation by repeatedly hosting parties that permitted underage drinking.

Students returned to the house in the fall of 2018, but it remained on probation. Last year, the Interfraternity Council voted against making it a full member, the Daily Northwestern reported at the time.

In response to Podolsky's account of mistreatment by hospital staff, a spokesperson for NorthShore University HealthSystem told the Chicago Tribune that the health system was "taking this matter very seriously" but declined to comment on the specifics, citing patient privacy.

University officials announced they have opened an investigation into the recent events at SAE and AEPi. A spokesperson told Patch the probe is ongoing and there is no timeline for its completion, but declined to answer questions about the nature of the investigation, whether any non-university law enforcement agencies are involved or whether any criminal charges have been referred to prosecutors.

Related:

• Victims Drugged Without Consent At Northwestern Frat Houses, Police Say
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon Returns To Northwestern Following Suspension
• SAE Fraternity Appeals Northwestern Suspension
• Northwestern Fraternity Sexual Assault Reports: Council 'Suspends' Parties