Sorry for the girl if this is true, but the whole thing seems a little fishy. Story comes out 5 months later? Not 1 name? Not 1 charge? The hospital wasn’t contacted? The hospital didn’t contact police after seeing the girl? Random girl comes out of the blue and claims to have seen a pill in her drink a year ago, but didn’t tell anyone?

This just seems like hearsay and some real facts would be nice….

This is one big speculation…

I’m not typically a fan a fraternities, and the title gave me a good laugh, but the article did not deliver. I don’t think there is even a single good fact in this story outside of the fact that she woke up at sigma chi.

I read the interview as well, and it just seems like there’s some alterior motive here.

Successful troll is successful.

“She knew full well I was having a private investigator.” -Taken directly from the transcript. She also mentions all the evidence that was taken in (DNA, etc.)

I believe that you’ll have your answers in little bit when the PI deems it time to release such information.

Also, reading the other two articles should help you understand why people have been anonymous thus far.

I salute your efforts here ladies.

-A.D.

(not 1 name?… piece together a few things and you deduce to a name or two)

“The hospital wasn’t contacted? The hospital didn’t contact police after seeing the girl?”

You don’t really get how rape cases work, do you? If the Herald can’t get anything out of the Hospital due to privacy laws and the only way the police get involved in the case is if the girl wants to press charges or make it known. She was obviously traumatized and most rape victims don’t want to come forward immediately.

As for the five months later thing — give me a break: I’ve heard about this circling the greek community since a week after it allegedly happened. Don’t believe everything you DON’T read in the papers.

the story’s coming out 5 months later because there’s some truth to it. the investigation began immediately after the event and has been ongoing since then. obviously the first entity that people want to tell IS NOT the press….

Most rape victims do not report the assault, so it is not surprising that some time has passed since the alleged crime occured. Let’s give the victim the benefit of the doubt while the investigation is conducted.

When I was at Sigma Chi this was par for the course, have the rules changed or something?

Yeah not so sure I would be blabbering my story all over the badger herald if I actually went through all that this victim claims. I think she as well as the badger herald should get their facts in order prior to making all these serious allegations.

Sorry to say, but that’s how most real rape cases work. Also, there’s a lot of convincing evidence surrounding the situation. She went to the doctor (like the newspapers are going to call the doctor for a quote?! as if he’ll give them one?! dude. seriously.) like she should have and got a pelvic exam, and there’s two other individuals involved in legitimate situations. It’s not one girl crying wolf. It’s three. We might have rape laws on the books, but the stigma from the self and from others is so great that many, many women say nothing. You’ll notice from the story that this woman came forward when she realized she wasn’t the only one.

i am disappointed in the herald for publishing such an aged yet un-detailed story. this is not a “top news story,” it is a scandal that lacks the facts needed to make a legitimate accusation. of course the victim has her right to animosity, but until further investigated, why not keep the fraternity anonymous too? why destroy their reputation instantly, while hiding hers? sigma chi is a fraternity of outstanding men - one of the strongest chapters on our campus - and it would be a shame if this accusation is the end to their fraternity.

SAE gets 3 years for a party and Sigma Chi gets social probation for a rape…. that makes tons of sense

“This just seems like hearsay and some real facts would be nice….”

How is it hearsay if it’s coming directly from the victims?

First, she is a woman, not a girl. Secondly, nearly every news story contains hearsay. Thirdly, if you want facts, take the time to read the interview conducted by the Badger Herald. It is compelling. And as far as identifying those who assaulted her—why do you think they use roofies?

Sadly, the story is neither new nor unique.

Anonymous (March 4, 2009 @ 3:15am)<— Screw you man if she really was raped she should be given the benefit of the doubt read the whole transcript you douche

@3:15: Rape is an event with the potential to disrupt your entire life. Obviously, this is one of those cases. It affects every victim/survivor differently. Attitudes like that are why rape is one of the most underreported violent crimes in the country.

Pressing charges means she needs to jump into our victim-blaming, “innocent until proven guilty” justice system. If it goes to a jury trial, the defense will say A) she’s assumedly sexually active, so she obviously got blackout drunk, had consensual sex and forgot/regretted it, B) she imagined it and shouldn’t be taken seriously, C) is flat-out lying to tear down these reputable members of the community, or D) she shouldn’t have enticed the alleged assailants by dressing sexy(1), so at least reduce the sentence. Then if a collection of 12 people not smart enough to get out of jury duty has a Reasonable Doubt that maybe she had rough, consensual sex and forgot, they’re obligated by our founding fathers to deliver a verdict of not guilty.

(1) This is a quirk exclusive to rape. If you get mugged walking through a dark alley in a shady part of town, nobody will say that you shouldn’t get your shit back, that the mugger shouldn’t pay your hospital bills and be thrown in jail. The justice system will swing into motion even if the responding officer calls you a dumbass for not taking more precautions as s/he fills out paperwork and authorities will do all in their power. Nobody will say you don’t deserve justice because you “asked for it.” See this article: while things are not identical because the justice system in UK is different, there’s still many parallels. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/feb/01/penal.genderissues

I was wondering the same thing but …Read the transcript of the interview! It will answer your questions!

The comment above relates directly to why women who have been sexually assaulted do not come forward and face their attackers. There is a culture of fear that keeps women silent—fear that no one will believe them, fear that they will be blamed for it, fear that they will be told that this is all “heresay”. I am ashamed that people still think this way.

If Thalhimer had any integrity at all, he’d man up and identify whoever in the house is spiking girls’ drinks. Either he knows who did it, which would make him an accessory, or he did it himself, or he’s the biggest idiot ever to become president of a frat.

Well, it is my understanding, from someone who was raped, that the process of going to the police, getting your body examined, going through the investigation, etc is very… invasive. It makes the situation much more difficult. As for the hospital being contacted, I don’t think it would be legal for the newspaper to report on the treatment this girl received 5 months earlier. So, the story is not fishy at all

Remember that this is an ongoing investigation, and she has probably been advised not to name anyone so she does not ruin it. Also, nothing has been proven yet, so it is unfair to name names—whoever is involved is innocent until proven guilty. Even though this whole thing sounds terrible, the men involved have the right to tell their side of the story.

And until you have been in a situation like she has, it’s really easy to judge. Knowing from personal experience, being raped is one of the most horrible things ever. You don’t just “get over it” and love talking about it. It took a lot of courage for these girls to talk about this. This is a horrible situation for everyone involved.

oooh snap. not my house!

DRAMA!

I know every single Sigma Chi. I know how they party, and how they treat women. And let’s just say, they’d sooner roofie themselves just for kicks than do something like this. If this is true, call out some names, make something more of this than a public statement to try to embarrass a house

hey idiot, if you were sexually assaulted would you want YOUR name published across campus? probably not. this is standard for police investigations; names are left out until charges are made. and how is this hearsay if it comes directly from an interview with the victim? gee, i wonder if this could be a member from or friend of the accused house… bottom line is this house has a history of this behavior, and it’s finally caught up to them. hopefully people won’t think this reflects upon the entire greek system, but that seems unlikely. thanks guys!

dear likely sigma chi member, do you really think this was made up? WOW. the rape(s) devastated her. the five month gap was likely the time she needed to feel comfortable coming out with the story. hope for justice. best, mp

This is not fishy just because you had never heard about it before now, it is hard for rape victims to come out about what happened to them so it is not surprising it took her this long to come out and to a campus newspaper nonetheless. Most rapes go unreported. I am just thankful she is speaking out and hopefully it will help others who have had this happen to them. The facts can’t be provided at this moment because they are either unknown or can’t be released.

alleged rape? come on Badger Herald…how poorly handled, I am disgusted actually by your handling of this situation. Clearly it is not alleged …

Not commenting on this case specifically, but rape victims often wait months or years before they contact anyone. Waiting 5 months to come forward does not make this girl’s story any less credible.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about a rape occurring at Sigma Chi. It is really very disheartening. Some sort of action should be taken against them.

i agree with the 3:15 post. Nothing against the actual incident, or so it seems, but this story really lacks credibility since it takes only one side and spends a majority of the time over-glorifying the “trauma” that the victim goes through. I guess the badger herald was antsy to jump on an opportunity to bash the greek community without gaining any real perspective. I find it hypocritical that this story wouldnt even be deemed news worthy if it happened outside of a fraternity.

you’re an ass. you don’t know how hard it is for these victims to tell anyone let alone start a long drawn out investigation. Their life is turned upside down and feel as if no one in the world can be trusted. 5 months is not that long for someone to recover enough to go to officials. You’re interpretation of the story is fine, but keep it to yourself and not accusing someone, who has possibly had something this heinous happen to them, of being a liar. I would be embarrassed to have commented what you just did, in the thought that someone that has possibly gone through so much would feel as if she has to continually defend herself.

even if it isn’t true, be respectful at the thought.

If you know that the person that allegedly dropped a pill in your drink last spring is now on the IFC Executive Board, you should file criminal charges against the individual. It is wholly unfair to everyone involved to fight a “trial” in the Badger Herald where individuals are essentially guilty until proven innocent. These allegations are very serious and to claim in a newspaper that an IFC Executive Board member is guilty of a crime is irresponsible as those individuals have no opportunity to defend themselves. There are proper channels to handle such matters and the Badger Herald is not one of them.

I don’t think 3 cases of girls being drugged, 2 of whom were raped, are fishy at all. Quite frankly, considering the general reputation of the Greek community, this doesn’t surprise me at all either.

Rape in general, and especially acquaintance rape, is an extremely underreported crime. Victims fear police reactions, public reactions (hence this young woman remaining anonymous), and often experience extreme guilt and self-blame. Unfortunately, acquaintance rape is more common than you think - and more common than stranger rape - 1 in 4 women have experienced it - yet it is a pretty taboo subject. People tend to think that if you know someone, surely they will not rape you. Completely false.

In this situation, the woman was drugged - that means her memory was impaired, so she probably experienced self-doubt after the assault. Denial is also a huge factor in the aftermath of an assault. These could be contributing factors as to why she waited to report. Who cares if she waited anyways - victims have waited 10, 20 years to report cases. All that matters is that she prosecuted.

Also, as a side note, the hospital cannot contact the police after you receive a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examination) exam. You can have evidence collected if you choose to prosecute, but they cannot make that decision for you.

As a victim myself, your statements frustrate me, quite frankly, and demonstrate how uninformed most people are about rape and acquaintance rape. If you want a real eye-opener, read the book “I Never Called it Rape” by Robin Warshaw. You’ll be surprised and disgusted at how often things like this occur.

I hope the woman in this story is using the resources available to her - UHS and the Rape Crisis Center are amazing. The Campus Women’s Center has a drop in support group on Wednesdays from 6:30-8 (I think?) too.

I also hope the Greek Community will be more proactive concerning safety; this shouldn’t be swept under the rug.

unfortunately, her story in her interview is the experience of two girls. and not to minimize that experience, but even the editors had to step it at some untruthful parts. i feel so sorry that she has had to experience this, and i also feel bad for the fraternity. however, i think that overall the herald handled this poorly. i am as pro-greek as you can get, but i also appreciate good reporting, and would have stood by a story that was valid. this story has minimized my faith in the herald for productive reporting.

“sigma chi is a fraternity of outstanding men - one of the strongest chapters on our campus - and it would be a shame if this accusation is the end to their fraternity.”

ARE YOU KIDDING???

Yeah Sigma Chi is a huge fraternity here and they attract a lot of members, but they are hardly a fraternity of outstanding men. They force their pledges to drink during their I week. A pledge last year commented to me that the first thing they had to do once they got there was take 10 shots. They are known for raping girls and anyone close to this poor girl knows that this story is true. Sure there are some good guys in Sigma Chi, but as a whole — they are trash.

After reading the transcript, the victim and her friend seem like credible, intelligent women who are trying to bring important issues to light.

The fact that this issue was not brought up earlier is completely understandable and expected considering it deals with rape - unless you have experienced a rape you cannot comprehend how difficult or painful it is to think about it let alone discuss it publicly following the incident. It takes time, counseling, and support systems and I am glad to hear this victim has all that.

As someone who has frequented Sigma Chi and been disgusted by the culture there, I find the entire story completely plausible. I hope they find out who is responsible.

I usually am not a fan of fraternities but if this girl is so distraught over this, coming out to the Badger Herald is not the right thing to do. Through the grapevine, people will find out who this girl is. It’s clear that that girl just wants all the attention she can get. I heard about this when it happened and know damn well that the investigation started months ago, but guess what, they didn’t have substantial evidence and now the case is closed.

It’s sad when people turn to this type of thing to gain personal attention. And as for the article, it is very poorly done. Kevin Bargnes, you should be ashamed of yourself. You not only targeted a few people as members of the fraternity as suspects, which is entirely wrong, but you also threw together a bunch of quotes to make your story legitimate. This is what is wrong with today’s media and you should feel very ashamed of yourself.

3:15 am, I don’t think this is the first step this woman has taken, but rather another step taken in frustration because she ran into another victim at a bar, and realized nothing had changed since her incident.

I realize that the Greek system can do a lot of good - creating friendship, brotherhood, service etc, but overall, it does seem like a cesspool when it comes to rape situations - an environment filled with members who seem unable to actually solve a clear problem.

I bet this story is true - and I hope something gets done about it. Charges should be pressed and people punished. I hope that this publicity stresses out the Greek community - more specially that it stresses them out so badly that they find a way to change this culture. Dialogues sessions, mandatory PAVE training, and well-crafted compassionate press releases are nice - but I’ll be impressed when rapes actually stop happening in frat settings and by frat members.

Yes, this is “alleged”, but I believe it. 1. it is pretty descriptive, and 2. Is merely one of many stories that have traveled around campus regarding this issue, and more importantly THIS FRATERNIY!

Obviously, a thorough investigation needs to be carried out, the situation verified, and the people directly responsible dealt with, but in my opinion this is a culture issue.

I say that the Greeks (frats) should shape up, or be completely disbanded.

Overall, an embarrassment for UW as a whole.

@11:16: It’s standard to put “alleged” in front of accused perpetrators crimes before the conclusion of a trial. If a person/organization is labeled by a newspaper as a rapist/whatever but is later found not guilty or acquitted, this person/org would then have grounds to sue for libel.

3:15am were we reading the same article? the police and hospitals were contacted. maybe you need reading lessons.

Putting the question of whether or not she was actually raped aside… Partial blame has to go to her friend who was apparently rufied last Spring. Her friend was rufied and then not only didn’t report it but allowed her own friends to get blacked out drunk and wander into Sigma Chi?

Some friend.

honestly, we go to a “rape school.” let’s not attack the greeks, but look at the bigger issue of our whole campus.

A rape school? I highly doubt our rates of sexual assault are drastically different than any other Big Ten school.

And to all who said the victim’s friend isn’t a good friend, read the god damn transcript before you make such a ridiculous claim. It’s clear the two are extraordinarily close.

As for these articles, the Herald staff is to be commended for tackling such an enormous story. Based on what I know about Greek politics, this is the absolute best they could have done without using a bunch of shady anonymous sources. I’m extremely proud of the campus press today.

-A UW Lecturer

Individual(s) in the house should held responsible, but why are people saying that their ENTIRE house is at fault? i dont understand how say, social probation, of an entire fraternity has anything to do with a rape allegation…

12:14pm, yes, we should look at the bigger issue of safety and looking out for our friends. We should not be blaming the victim here; we should be re-thinking how we look out for our friends when we are out and drinking. This is true when someone gets mugged walking home from the bar, but also in a situation when you think you are in a safe environment. This girl was a pledge, early in the year, and she probably thought she could rely on an older girl in her house to take her somewhere where she’d be ok. This should be yet another reminder to girls—and guys—to look out for their friends when drinking.

This is not a “Greek” issue. This happens everywhere, including dorms and apartments, and with people who you think are your friends. We should use this as a learning experience rather than bashing everyone and questioning their sincerity. If this is already a known incident in the Greek system, these girls probably know that by speaking out it’s just going to cause them to be more scrutinized by an already insular group, and if it weren’t true, they probably wouldn’t risk that. Let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt here.

It’s sad that one fraternity does some stupid shit, and the entire Greek Community is made to look bad. If this did actually happen I would hope Sig Chi gets some harsh punishments for this horrible occurence.

I’d also like to point out that I would guess every member of Sigma Chi has read these stories by now and there don’t seem to be any comments saying flat out “this is wrong.” Sure, there are some lingering questions and some uncertainty, but such is the nature of these kind of stories. A lot of non-denial denials.

I commend this victim for going to the paper. Now the whole student body is aware of this happening. Don’t bash her for wanting to tell her story. I’m sure because of her many other women will come forward because they now know they are not alone.

The time between the event and coming forward is irrelevent. Since the Greek community - and the university - apparently wants to cover their own ass despite how widely circulated this was in the rumor mill, I can imagine how the woman felt she didn’t have any allies.

The physical evidence was preserved at the time and rape has a six-year statute of limitations.

So yeah, would you want to be this person?

the purpose of this story was to make the issue of rape known to the student body and perhaps prevent other people from making similar mistakes/choices. i think this woman did a very brave thing in coming forward with her story - she stayed anonymous for so long and, due to word of mouth, her identity is most likely going to leak out. by coming forward, she isn’t craving attention, but it shows that she is that adament about her issue and preventing other women from being subject to rape.

as for lack of details, there are rules and ethics in journalism. names aren’t released until charges are placed.

First degree sexual assault (gang rape causing serious physical injury with the aid of drugs) is just fun and games. Really. I mean, what’s 40 years imprisonment between frat brothers?

She didn’t know she was raped until she looked in the mirror the next morning? And how does she know she didn’t consent the night before? I often find credit card bills for pizza or drinks I don’t remember and retrospectively did not want but likely assented to in my intoxicated state.

I see there’s a RENT SPECIAL there….dear diary, jackpot

My sister and her friends mentioned hearing about a gang rape at Sigma Chi on the car ride home during THANKSGIVING BREAK. It was shocking to finally see it was reported now. Best of luck to the girl in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

do you find it suspicious that the friend said she saw a sigma chi pop a roofy into her drink one time over a year ago, but then doesnt admit to who the person actually is? isnt this just an effort to try to frame sigma chi as roofy poppers. If this acutally happened it it would make sense that she would give this guy’s name.

This is trying set up the rape as if she was roofied. She said she went to Johnny O’s and woke up in sigma chi at 2:30 am. You weren’t roofied. You blacked out for an hour or 2 from drinking. Then you went home with some guy who you dont remember and woke up in his bed an hour later. How do you know if it was a member of sigma chi? There are people who live in that bulding who arent even members of sigma chi. How does the doctor even know that there were exactly 7 guys involved? Maybe the guy was just huge? Was there even a doctor? The information from the “doctor” came from the victim’s mounth, not a neutral voice. How is she traumatized, if she doesnt even remember what happened? Were the past 5 months spent colaberating a story? You would think that she would be able to track down the guys who were at the party beforehand via Facebook. she had friends that knew them. Why wouldnt she try to narrow it down to those people at the party? Why hasnt this process been conducted? At what point does boil down to a bunch of stupid shit that somebody made up?

I’m not a member of greek life, so i could really care less about any side. But this article spends half the time playing with the reader’s emotions to get you to believe this girl. its a quick smear attempt that tries to bash the greek community. Start questioning this shit before you draw your conclusions.

I am disgusted by anyone who is not taking this seriously. Just because the BH is a college newspaper, does not mean that their stories do not have real facts behind them. First of all, they cannot get a comment from the Dr., it’s called patient privacy. Second of all, they are not going to release the names of the victim, or perpetrators (assuming this girl even knew who they were) because the case is still under investigation and these ‘allegations’ are not found to be totally true yet. Third, even people with basic knowledge of rape victim behavior knows that many do not come forward. Luckily, this girl at least has a physical examination to confirm it.

Fouth, if these allegations are true (which I believe they are) Sigma Chi should be forced to disband. This is not okay. If we let one organization get away with any illegal activities, we may as well tell everyone else it is okay. The University simply cannot let this stand. I don’t care if it makes the Greek community look bad, if they do not move for the disbandment (pending the outcome of the investigation) of this Fraternity, then they are essentially supporting this kind of behavior. The Greek community should come together to punish Sigma Chi, if, for nothing else, saving their reputation.

As for the issue of consent, if she were passed out, she could not give her consent…Also, if she were so drunk, she couldn’t speak, she can’t give consent. And don’t start on the fact that maybe she shouldn’t have drank so much—the fact is, if she was not legally able to give consent, then it is considered assault. We don’t know, we weren’t there.

The interview says that DNA was collected from the woman at the hospital. I say every member of Sigma Chi have their DNA collected and checked with the DNA sample from the rapist. If they have nothing to hid, they would gladly be tested and be vindicated. If they are hiding something, they will avoid being tested and try to hid the truth. Get rid of bad apple(s). Simple and to the point, have every member of Sigma Chi give a DNA sample to the authorities.

I find it very hypocritical that the herald gives this two stories on the front page today only because this was in a fraternity. If this happened anywhere else, it wouldn’t even be mentioned. Apparently the herald only thinks rape happens in fraternities.

Make Sigma Chi take DNA tests. Nice and easy - if you did it, you match. If you didn’t do it, you don’t.

Nice to see the Greek community uphold its fine reputation. And what is with a sorority apparently not giving a damn that everyone is talking for months about how Sigma Chi raped one of their members?

Let’s remember that if this happened with an athlete or the band, it would be in the paper—and it has been. This is what happens with high profile organizations.

Our Greek system is corrupt beyond belief.

re 12:52

right because when the rap happened behind ians that was not reported, o wait

Members of Sigma Chi have probably been advised not to say anything about the alleged incident. I am sure that they want to comment, but can’t. If their national organization is involved, then I’m sure they told them not to say anything to anyone, and doing so could get them in trouble. Their silence does not equal guilt. And a few bad guys, if this is true, does not make them all bad.

First, I would like to thank the woman who had the courage to come out and share her story to help prevent future events like this from happening. I am ashamed of the number of comments made here that are anonymous saying that its not true, or its trying to get attention, or any other bullshit. Obviously these comments are made anonymously because the commenter knows that what he is saying is insensitive and probably not true. If you are going to say something damaging, at least have the balls to put your name to it, or shut the hell up. Your actions will make it easier to change the system for the better and to get the attention necessary to prevent Sigma Chi, or at least scare them, from doing something like this again. It will not be forgotten and it was not in vain. It’s incredibly hard to get over this, and you are not alone. Last thing, we should not be discussing whether or not it is credible, but what should be done to catch them. If she went to the hospital and they took DNA samples, why don’t they take DNA samples of ever Sigma Chi member until they find a match?

Megan Sallomi, UW Senior

@1:09: Invasion of privacy without a warrant/court order. Individual members could volunteer their DNA to rule themselves out, though.

Guys that can’t make friends realize they can join a fraternity and pay people to be their friends. These same guys realize women do not find them desirable so they fix that with a roofie. This brand of man is pathetic, but it’s the type fraternities love to embrace and, frankly, we all should be used to it by now. Sad but true.

saying every member of sigma chi should be punished is like saying all US citizens should be punished for the war in iraq…nearly everyone in the US is against it yet our reputation is tarnished because of it…blame the individuals, not the organization.

This is embarrassing to the UW. But what is far, far worse is the commentary. We should be ashamed, all of us, that a) this happened and b) for reacting this way.

This is very poor journalism. The story is obviously not complete and was released prematurely for the sake of attention and publicity. I believe that the woman should be taken seriously, and her privacy respected, but i also believe that the fraternity in question has a right to privacy as well. Coming out with an accusation like this destroys lives and reputations, even if the accusations prove to be false. Everyone remembers the Duke lacrosse team case. I am not in any way suggesting that the woman is being untruthful, only that these things need to be handled with much greater care than is exhibited here. Let the police and university proceed with their investigation, and in time you will have your story… to do otherwise is reckless and irresponsible.

This is absolutely disgusting. I have lost what little respect I have for ANY member of ANY fraternity - if you choose to associate yourself with a group that includes people like this, then you deserve the same label. DISBAND ALL FRATERNITIES! From the stories we’ve been hearing lately, they appear to be a breeding ground for the scum of the earth.

Megan Sallomi, UW Senior:

“If you are going to say something damaging, at least have the balls to put your name to it, or shut the hell up.”

-The same should hold true for this paper. Thank you for refuting your own point.

Also, the police would have to have warrants to obtain DNA samples unless members voluntarily offered them. Getting a sweeping warrant to get samples from every member would be very difficult, not to mention the enormous amount of time and money it takes to process even one sample.

This is why people do not come forward and tell their story, because they are afraid people will not believe them. Less than 5 percent of victims nation-wide actually report instances of sexual assault or rape.

it takes an INCREDIBLE amount of courage to come forward and tell a story like this one.

I support the victim’s bravery.

Was every german during WWII a nazi? Is every American to blame for Japanese interment camps? Are all muslims to blame for 9/11?

if the answer to any of the above questions is a no, then why put blame on the entire sigma chi fraternity. I happen to know most of the guys at the house and can genuinely say they are very respectful men who care for there mothers, sisters, and friends. I have been offered to be walked home by them numerous times and have always felt safe inside their house.

Nice reporting… ” victim’s friend?” What kind of credible reporting is that you, nimrod? Your editor should be ashamed of this.

@1:41 Yes because being an anonymous commenter and not releasing your name when you have been raped are the EXACT same thing

clearly not drugged.

1-she would not have been up on her feet and such, playing beer pong, she would be so out of it anyone walking on the street would have noticed, and she would have been brought in for public intoxication.

2-“Yeah. Oh, and I got tested to see if I had been given roofies, but [it came back negative]. But they also said you need to go within the hour or it�s not detectable. So they said it wasn�t that [I] didn�t get roofied, it just couldn�t be proven.” - that’s weird that you would say that when according to a medical study performed by the U.S. Department of Justice, the drug in roofies, flunitrazepam, is detectable in urine up to 72 hours after exposure, and can actually be detected in hair follicles for up to a month. check it out for yourself

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/201894.pdf

obviously at least one part has been exaggerated, so the real questions is how much more

No matter what side anyone has posted on it is unbelievable to me that so many people can jump on this story, especially in the way it was written. Unless you have been in some way inroduced to both parties involved it seems both unfair and superficial to decide who is guilty, lying, or otherwise. I wish this campus would stop the immediate bashing of groups until they had experience with them. For such a “forward thinking” group of people you all surely rely heavily on stereotypes.

She wants the frat kicked off campus? I would think she would want the person jailed.

It’s amazing how many people jump on the fraternity and the greek system without having any experience with it. It makes up less than 10% of the student population including the sororities yet gets 50% of the news. Theyre is no way that the majority of people responding to this article have any idea who they are talkng about and it is dissapointing to see stereotyping at its worst.

From someone who has been raped before, coming to terms and finding the courage to tell, especially in the eye of the public and facing scrutiny and threats from the greek community, is a hard thing to do. In those five months, she was probably focusing on the trauma of what happened to her and coping with it. I never even came forward with my rape because of societal pressures, embarrassment, and the fact that women are generally not believed because men think that women want it; charges are rarely filed when a woman does come forward and even harder for it to go to trial. We live in a sad, patriarchal society. Good for her for coming forward. Those must have been a trying 5 months, and I wish the best of luck to her <3 I wish I had her strength.

@12:40

How does the doctor know that there were 7 guys involved? DNA Evidence - 7 sets of DNA

and how was she traumatized if she doesn’t remember? - Really, are you really dumb enough to ask that question?

this is a disturbing story but i hold the belief of “innocent until proven guilty” and this article seems to have flipped that around, and i think that the writer Kevin Bargnes is at fault for this …… a front page article should certainly not be an article that makes critical of a statement without factual basis. It’s “she said” at this point … a medical report would have been the least that Bargnes could have done …. hopefully he does his research and gets to the bottom of this

honestly i think the main issue here is that this is an ongoing problem obviously in this fraternity and this girl has decided to come out in order to raise awareness and to protect other girls from having the same thing happen to them, the minor details dont matter she wants to remain anonymous and doesnt need to enclose dna reports or statements from doctors for everyone to see…rape is serious it happens more than u think so watch out

Fraternity men make up most leadership positions in government and business. That’s no coincidence. Fraternities do not breed “scum” as one of you ignorant shit heads suggested.

The Badger Herald is beating up on Greek life as it so typically does, because everyone there is a punch of pussy GDI’s.

I’m not in Sigma Chi, but they have my full support. Most of the Greek community feels that way. We won’t say it publicly, because most chapters have issued a gag order on the topic to prevent the BH from twisting our words even more and giving this “rape victim” any more power.

1-she would not have been up on her feet and such, playing beer pong, she would be so out of it anyone walking on the street would have noticed, and she would have been brought in for public intoxication.

Stupid, how many drunk students are walking around in a given night? Especially if that night was a weekend or after a game day. The majority of the time NO ONE IS GOING TO NOTICE someone who is ridiculously intoxicated. I, myself, can say that I’ve been carried home, to drunk to walk or function, and have not been brought in for public intoxication. You are an idiot.

Also, to all the people saying that she was just too drunk. Doesn’t matter, if you are intoxicated, you are not technically able to give consent. I doubt it was consensual, since she was penetrated by many different guys and HAD BRUISES. I don’t know what kind of sex you are into, but I would say that is not normal. And just because someone drinks too much, that doesn’t mean they deserve to get raped either. If that were the case, about 80% of the campus would fall under that stupid assumption.

of course it happened at sketchy sigma chi, with their fake greek columns n everything

And most politicians and business leaders aren’t scum? Are you really trying to make that argument?

And with the language you feel the need to use, your argument is even less convincing and more awkwardly defensive.

Anonymous (March 4, 2009 @ 3:10pm):.

uhhh im in the Greek system and have been for four years. What you said is such bullshit and a lie.

sigma chi’s building has a ton of NON-AFFILIATED TENANTS. the same thing happened with ZETA PSI, if anyone remembers. someone needs to LOOK INTO THAT before freaking the fuck out about only the frat being involved.

@3:10, WOW.

I’m a greek member myself and have several friends in Sigma Chi. I feel for what the innocent members are going through right now, which must be absolute hell. That said, this story isn’t just a harmless smear campaign against the greek system (remember sigep’s “bucketgate” last year?), these are incredibly serious allegations. As a prior commentor noticed, those responsible WILL face long prison sentences as well as the social stigma of being labeled a felony sex offender for life.

I feel awful for this woman and what she has gone through, and applaud her for making the decision to put an stop to this alleged activity, in order to help others. Whoever you are, don’t get caught up in the anti-greek bashing, know that the overwhelming majority of students support you, and want these assholes where they belong, in front of a judge and jury.

“Fraternity men make up most leadership positions in government and business. That’s no coincidence. Fraternities do not breed “scum” as one of you ignorant [expletive] suggested.”

Last I checked, business “leaders” and politics are absolutely full of scum, frat stud.

So nice to see an upstanding member of the frat community put “rape victim” in quotes when the woman had serious documented injuries.

I know a few bars you can walk into if you’re feeling that tough. Moron.

Seriously, 40 years?

This ACTUALLY happened. I know it is hard to think that it did because it’s such a terrible occurance.

Apparently it takes one P.O.S. article to get the Badger Herald comment section to replace Juicy Campus. This is just another lesson that anything is liable to happen when you are black out drunk. Yes, she was raped. Does she have any idea who did it? NO.

I’m not sure why so many people are taking this as a personal affront to the Sigma Chi fraternity. Just because their name is mentioned, it is NOT a “smear campaign.” Look at it this way: anyone who has even the most rudimentary knowledge of journalism knows that a news article contains who, what, when, where, and why. In this case, this is: the girl and the accused, a rape, last October, the Sigma Chi fraternity, and who the fuck knows why (respectively). The rape allegedly happened at the Sigma Chi fraternity; this is news. The Sigma Chi fraternity went on probation because of this; this is also news. Greeks- Don’t take this so personally.

Also, anyone who says that something “allegedly” happening is not news clearly has not ever watched the news. Any ongoing criminal case is always referred to as “alleged,” and they are reported on all the time.

Gang rape (and rape of an unconscious person) is second-degree sexual assault, which is Class C, not Class B.

It’s still potentially decades of prison time.

you can’t compare anything that happens in the band to someone getting raped. just because they are both high profile organizations doesn’t give you the right to compare a bunch of guys raping a girl to a bunch of kids getting together to drink. but thanks for putting that in everyones mind. might as well smear “sexually fondling” all over the country again

It doesn’t matter whether someone is black out drunk or perfectly fine, it NEVER gives anyone the right to gang rape someone

I am absolutely stunned at the lack of intelligence and compassion shown in some of these comments. Think of your mother, your sister, your girlfriend. How ridiculous that our university of supposed intellectuals continues to perpetuate the idea that rape victims are the ones at fault. Absolute bollocks.

first, i commend the girl for her courage. second, some of these insensitive (would you say the same thing if you were the victim?) and uneducated (ignorances of how basic legal system and journalism work) comments disgust me even more. lastly, for better or worse, props to the bh for at least bring this issue up.

I can’t believe people are questioning the quality of journalism utilized here. Nor can I believe people find this story “fishy.” Looking at that issue through that viewpoint, even if this woman is potentially trying to get a minute of fame…or use this for personal gain…wish I must say is a completely absurd thing to say… that doesn’t change the fact that this was premeditated rape… and premeditated rape by a large number of people. This is a completely terrible and disgusting thing.

And for those to make jokes at this, particularly immature guys, how would you liked to be drugged, tied up, and raped in the deuce. You probably wouldn’t be so insincere.

@2:09 Unless the drug used was GHB instead of rohypnol. Which is a main reason GHB is being used more and more in rape situations cause it is much harder to test for (goes through the system MUCH quicker) though easier to detect by taste.

Gang rape (and rape of an unconscious person) is second-degree sexual assault, which is Class C, not Class B.

It’s still potentially decades of prison time.

It should be a bullet in the head, seriously this ruins lives and these people deserve it. Additionally, we should wait for the investigation to reach a conclusion before we fire up the torches.

“We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.”

Is any one at the badger herald actually abiding by this statement?

I applaud the girl for coming forward. Other girls claim it is such a horrendous experience, yet leave their violator out on the loose to strike again.

To Victim: Thank you for trying to make this world a better place, unlike all the rape victims who just clothes their mouths and pretend it never happened.

I strongly believe that Sigma Chi should no longer be on this campus. Obviously, the president of this fraternity has not made enough effort to figure out why Sigma Chi is being blamed for a federal crime and does not have control on this situation. SHAME ON YOU.

These people who are trying to back up Sigma Chi and make fun of drugs and rape are the exact same people who would attempt to rape someone if they could get away with it.

3:10pm

“I’m not in Sigma Chi, but they have my full support. Most of the Greek community feels that way. We won’t say it publicly, because most chapters have issued a gag order on the topic to prevent the BH from twisting our words even more and giving this “rape victim” any more power.”

oh yes, 3:10, dig that grave deeper… it’s nice to see there are some greek guys here who are posting thoughtful stuff (3:50) …seriously dude, horrible “word choices”

I want to begin with saying that I whole-heartedly feel bad for this woman. I cannot even begin to imagine the emotional scarring that is done through an action such as rape. I also fully commend her for coming forward and telling her side of the story because so few victims do so. This being said, I feel like the respect of privacy is a two-way street. The story is very compelling in implicating a member or members of Sigma Chi as the perpetrators but the investigation has been ongoing now for 6 months and I have faith in the criminal system. No arrests have been made and there simply is not any evidence at this time to blame anyone. This brings me to my main point; the “Badger Herald” used very poor judgment in publishing this article. I don’t know if the editor didn’t know or simply didn’t care about the repercussions that would arise from the article, but the reputation of Sigma Chi and all its brothers has been permanently tainted on speculation and accusations. I hope that the bastard/s that did this will be found and face the consequences for their disgusting deed but in the meantime I hope that the UW community will put the accusations aside until actual proof arises and let the brothers of Sigma Chi try and gain back their credibility that was so wrongly stripped from them.

Ps: Those of you who are using this horrible incident to bash fraternities need to realize that it is incredibly selfish and unproductive. Fraternities and whatever bad stereotypes associated with them don’t commit rape, bad people commit rape. Dedicate your time to bashing these people as opposed to organizations you do not belong to.

These pigs who live in Sigma Chi brutally raped my best friend. They damaged her and damaged me. They should be put away for what they did and to protect future victims . Anyone who believes otherwise are simply naive and are feeding support to these individuals to continue in their feeble attempts to be “men”.

4:40, after the last frat went up in flames, maybe mentioning torches is a bad idea? Hope they catch the sleazy bastards.

I would like to say that I have spoken to two girls in sororities that have been ruffied at Sigma Chi, whether it be at a football pre-game, or other party. If you have been ruffied at this or any frat, I urge you to come forward and tell someone about it. This frat should be long gone off campus. I’m sick of it.

To those guys out there: Think about what you are doing to girls-is it really not a big deal to you?

4:22, just like you would expect the band members to be given the benefit of the doubt for all the things they were accused of, I would like to think you would give these guys the same courtesy. I think the point was that other people than Greeks get called out for things when they are accused of bad things. It’s not fair, but it’s a fact. Be consistent in your indignancy.

@ Anonymous (March 4, 2009 @ 1:39pm): Don’t blame this on the Greek Community. If a non-fraternity man, a member of a non-Greek Student Organization was found to be the alleged rapist, would you be calling for the removal of all student organizations? If he was a member of an athletic team, would you call for all athletics to be disbanded? Punish the individual(s) associated with the crime, not an entire group. Are some men in Sigma Chi horrible human beings? Undoubtedly. Are some men NOT in Sigma Chi horrible human beings? Same answer.

If I were in this poor women’s situation, I’d want that man behind bars, not his fraternity kicked off campus.

I 100% sympathize with the victim. Rape is a life-altering experience (in the worst possible way.)However, anyone reading this article should realize: (1)The private investigation was closed due to a lack of evidence. 2) The BH has no right to remove all names, but mention that a member of Sigma Chi on IFC was an alleged rapist. (Way to go, BH! As if that isn’t naming names…) and 3) That people NOT in Sigma Chi live in their house. The picture in the BH even shows the “Renting” sign.

Overall, I am extremely disapointed in the Badger Herald article and I hope the individual(s) involved in the rape are punished.

I respect this girl so much, I’m happy she finally came forward.

It is extremely hard for rape victims to tell their story. One of my friends in middle school told after 3 years. Often times, they feel guilty, ashamed, and want to forget about it. Unfortunately, these are hard things to keep inside. Once it gets too overwhelming, victims usually come forward.

It is sad to see so many people not taking this seriously. I have seen VERY sketchy things and have not come forward. It is hard to know who to tell, who will care, and who will believe you.

I hope people stop bad mouthing the story and at least have some respect and decency. Wait for the investigation to complete itself before you accuse.

This article is more an attack on the Sigma Chi Fraternity than the alleged rapist. If there actually was someone within Sigma Chi that committed this crime, does that mean that 100+ members of Sigma Chi are also rapists? Essentially that is what all the bashing seems to be saying. If there was a rape that occurred, then certainly someone should be held responsible, however, there must be a serious distinction made between the Sigma Chi Fraternity and the investigation of an alleged rapist.

If the girl woke up at Sigma Chi… someone or more than one person at Sigman Chi knows that she was there. Sigma Chi should man up and present there story on it … cause they know the story wasn’t made up that she woke up at Sigma Chi.

The president of Sigma Chi in Madison should get to the bottom of it and find out what room she woke up in and do the investigation himself to point out the guilty party of individuals and clear the names of the other members of the organization. The more the fraternity denies it, the more the public will group the whole fraternity as scum.

Don’t hate the fraternity, hate the man!

I’ll begin by saying, i am a man, and as a man, it’s embarrassing to read this, knowing that there are other men out there that who do this.

First off, how ignorant do you have to be to think this is a conspiracy just to bring down sigma chi or greek life in general? Matter of the fact is a women was raped. And to clarify for the idiot who interpreted several as seven, that doesn’t mean seven men exactly, but an unknown amount more than 1.

As for having a problem for her being annonymous, what would be the point of her giving her name out? so people can facebook her and harass her? Although unlikely, what if, as a guy, you somehow got roofied and the next day woke up with no pants on and your asshole soar? How would you feel about yourself? Would you be willing to go tell others about it? And have an article written about it stating your name and that your were raped? No.

Anyway, I assume she was roofied like the story says, but even if she wasn’t and was just black out drunk, it still doesn’t give one guy, nor several, the permission to have sex with her. As a man you should have the respect for others to receive consent. And at least the judgment to decipher between someone that’s drunk and horny, and someone who is completely unaware of what they’re doing. It disgusting to think that there were multiple guys raping this women. What would you be thinking to yourself, “hmm, this guy just fucked her, and now she’s going to let me fuck her, wow this is awesome!” ANY NORMAL PERSON would understand there is something wrong with that situation. So to whoever may have done this, even if you thought it was consensual, you are not a man. Maybe gain a little bit of your integrity back by turning yourself(s) in.

The fact is, people who are in organizations are held to a higher standard than most. Athletes, student organizations, bands, fraternities etc. are going to get a bad rep. if one of their members does something wrong. That’s why these people get in more trouble for getting in bar fights, having bad pictures on facebook etc.; they are expected to represent the organization to which they belong. Why do you think people put organizations on their resumes? Because it is assumed that they uphold a higher standard than the average person. That is why everyone is grouping Sigma Chi, and the rest of the Greek community together on this issue. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I can damn well assure you that many people in that frat know exactly who did it. You can’t tell me that many secrets are kept in a house where that many people live. Whoever knows any information should come forward, not to the media, but to the police.

Greek “loyalty” is one of the more pathetic things I’ve ever seen. Seriously, you are a bunch of 18-22 year old brats who live in a house together and get plastered. You’re not some legendary blood oath secret society or hundreds-of-years strong Scottish clan.

If someone is a criminal, call the police.

I have no idea who this girl is but I think she is incredibly brave. To not only come forward with your story in order to warn girls and hopefully prevent this from other happening again, but to do so with such emotion and not shy away from her feelings. Most girls would hesitate to admit just how much this has affected them, and she did not hide that she is in therapy and how she has trouble being a room with men.

Although I fully understand that rape cases are very complex with many sides and are usually based on “he said” “she said” situations this is one of our fellow classmates who reached out not for sympathy or to place blame on anyone but to help prevent something like this from happening again. She is an incredibly classy person who at the very, very least deserve respect.

I had a bad experience with Sigma Chi at another Big-Ten University this year… There is obviously something wrong with this Frat, they should be kicked off campus for sure…

3:10, the Badger Herald doesn’t need to do anything to “beat up” on Greek life. You guys do a pretty good job of digging your own grave, brah. Ultra-defensive tactics might cause some to think that maybe you were involved as well. Tread lightly.

Also, really good job in keeping that gag order. There’s a reason its in place. If the Greek community thought that the allegations were untrue something would have been said by now, especially after considering all of the attention this issue is receiving. There’s a reason they’re not saying anything, dude. There’s a reason you’re not supposed to say anything.

But if the “whole Greek community is behind Sigma Chi” after this story has been released, well then that’s a community I’m very glad I’m not a part of.

Oh by the way, the implication isn’t that frats breed scum. Its that they attract scum. I know of very few frat boys that I would take seriously. Once again, grab the shovel, and keep digging your own grave.

@ 5:16pm):

“I hope people stop bad mouthing the story and at least have some respect and decency. Wait for the investigation to complete itself before you accuse.”

That is exactly what people “bad mouthing” the story are saying. the fraternity deserves that respect as well… but instead it has been publicly accused of horrendous things without any proof. Nowhere in the transcript is there any proof that anyone in the fraternity took part in this. Not only are there other people living in that house, but if a party was held it is likely that there were many more people not associated with the organization present. This is irresponsible, and for this I do not blame the woman, she is incredibly brave to be able to tell her story, I blame the BH.

“After reading the transcript, the victim and her friend seem like credible, intelligent women who are trying to bring important issues to light. “

Apparently using the word “like” every other word and just making shit up counts as intelligence?… Yeah rape is a big deal, but this story has no evidence and should not have ever been printed. It’s 100% hearsay.

And by the way, roofies are in your system for 72 hours and can be discovered in hair within a month. Her comment that the nurse said you have to be tested with 1 hour shows the nurse, and her, true “intelligence”.

She admits in the transcript to getting wasted and “black out” and her test came up negative. No reason to think she didn’t black out, banged some dudes, and is now embarrassed.

Anyone calling for voluntary submissions of DNA is an idiot. There is no organization that is able to front the money, time, and man power for that. It is not an admission of guilt to not do so. If you want to pay for it to happen then use it as an argument. Additionally, nice job to all the people using slander in their argument talking about power frats and ending points with brah. You make your opinion sound about as credible as the Badger Herald article.

There are rapists all over the world that serve time in prision. I hope these people will serve a long time and not just get away with it.

IF YOU ARE TRYING TO FIND “LOOPHOLES” in the VICTIM’S statement this is not CSI and Law and Order. Let the detectives assigned to the case be the people to ask questions and judge. If her statements seem vague it is because there is an ongoing investigation at hand and before we have ANOTHER unsolved case here at the UW, where a student is victimized by predators, we must stand behind our fellow students. I do recognize we can’t solely depend on Madison Police to perform a stellar job but there is a reason we’re all students and this is the occupation designed to handle these things. It is obvious something horrific happened here and truth be told the comments above dismissing this woman’s experience is even worse. I was a student that was attacked on campus a few years ago and I can honestly say the worst part about this campus is everyone is willing to put their 2 cents in on how they would’ve handled themselves in that situation. To everyone with advice for this victim and her friend you have NO CLUE what you would do. This victim is not to blame and it is so wrong for anyone to tell her otherwise. I’m disgusted in the utter lack of community here at the UW. Between hating coasties, to frats and sororities vs. the rest of campus, race issues, etc. We need to come together and look after one another so this doesn’t happen again. We need to make a statement that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and we will not tolerate our students being victimized. I do not pay out of state tuition to be bullied and to walk around afraid on my campus. Until we can come together like this these attitudes of blaming the victim and finding loopholes will happen. And again to those people giving their “advice” on how they would’ve handled themselves and telling the victim what she did was wrong- someday you will be confronted with a situation that will require you to give compassion and understanding. You will regret being so heartless, irresponsible with your words and inconsiderate of another person’s pain. To the perpetrators your day will come and justice will be served.

Regardless of the reporting, or the facts about the allegation…the moral of the story is the discussion that it starts. I have never seen more comments on an article in the Herald, and now our campus is thinking about these issues, and not sweeping them under the rug. Think about the overall point, and how sexual assault is affecting our campus community.

Badger Herald, why are you deleting comments that are critically analyzing your newspaper and your editors? If you have the right to free speech in an attempt to socially humiliate, why can’t we have the free speech to point out your shortcomings? You leave up a comment that says Sigma Chi’s, if responsible, should get a “bullet to the head”, but take down analyitical arguments that might bring your journalistic credibility into question? Have the decency to admit shortcomings and come out with a follow up article that brings facts to the table . Thank You.

Badger Herald, why are you deleting comments that are critically analyzing your newspaper and your editors? If you have the right to free speech in an attempt to socially humiliate, why can’t we have the free speech to point out your shortcomings? You leave up a comment that says Sigma Chi’s, if responsible, should get a “bullet to the head”, but take down analyitical arguments that might bring your journalistic credibility into question? Have the decency to admit shortcomings and come out with a follow up article that brings facts to the table . Thank You.

its not an individual, its individuals. if this is true sigma chi must be kicked off campus. nobody can make the argument that a group of frat members gang raped a girl, and nobody else in the fraternity knew about it. the frat knew, and they must be kicked out.

i smell a defamation lawsuit if this story is proved false…

I hope this woman is doing okay. Multiple animals taking turns penetrating an unconscious woman, ejaculating inside her, and leaving her with blood and bruises, is a horrible, deeply deplorable tableau indeed. I hate to state it so bluntly like that but that’s the gist of it that I think many people are overlooking when they get caught up trying to defend a frat or criticize the reporting. What’s important is that the people responsible are identified and brought to justice, and that this woman can regain the luster she had before the incident, now knowing that she has a community behind her (with the exception of a couple hedonistic neanderthals, like 8:43pm, etc eg).

BTW, what kind of man are you if your impulsion, upon reading an article about a woman being raped, is to write up a comment with a bunch of scare quotes and cynicism?

11:09am - Oh please. What shit.

I don’t drink

There should be a defamation of character brought forth by the members of the Sigma Chi fraternity. For a newspaper to publish a story with no physical evidence, that links a fraternity of upstanding gentlemen with a vicious attack on a helpless person is an unsubstantiated attack and life altering event.

There are not facts presented in this story, merely allegations presented in an intensely negative manner toward Sig Chi and the Greek system as a whole.

In my gut, I do feel that this woman was raped, but as another poster commented, we can’t be certain that she was rufied or if a member of Sig Chi even committed the crime as she “didn’t take a rufie test” and there are many live-ins “not affiliated with Sig Chi.”

Before we let our emotions get the best of us, it seems wise to let BH follow up (hopefully in a better written, more analytical manner than this article). To destroy a fraternity of generally good people and possibly member’s lives, we should give them the benefit of the doubt. And always remember, if this case were as cut and dry as many of you seem to think it is, the MPD would have solved it by now.

Finally, BH, your time of sensational journalism is over. If this would have happened anywhere else on campus, it wouldn’t have even made the paper. All victims of rape are just that—victims of rape. Just because one happened in a frat house and one happened on Mifflin, doesn’t make one better/worse than the other. You kids writing and editing these stories will edit and write our news in the future. To me, this is a scary thought. It’s time to grow up and partake in responsible journalism rather than trying to advance your agenda.

10:40pm. Well said.

Slander/defamation can be defined as “the communication of a statement that makes a false claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government or nation a negative image”

If anything in this article is false, which seems to be likely with all the allegations backed up solely by the victims own recollection. It is not difficult to go to Johnny O’s or any of the bars/places the victim was at, get a video of the people she was with, and ask questions. Clearly, its not cut and dry, so lets not jump the gun and throw Sigma Chi/the Greek System under the bus so quickly.

I am a fan of the greek system, but not Sigma Chi. That being said this woman should not be able to make claims against these men in an arena where they cannot defend themselves. I do believe she was raped, but to implicate people from past events, in which you failed to report, is wrong. If you know men like that like in that house why even associate with any of them? Don’t call out a member of IFC, that should have been handled with officer gonzalez on the night of the incident.

10:40pm: Many times it’s not until the media gets involved that the police feel compelled to apply themselves fully to a case.

This story is trying to bash Sigma Chi and the entire greek system, not a single fact was presented in the whole article. Please get some facts before publicly trashing and trying to ruin someone. You have no right to publish this story right now and no reason to besides to stir up controversy negative emotions towards the frat. The BH owes Sigma Chi a public apology for this article and a law suit would now surprise me.

As for the UW lecturer who posted at 12:21 commending the BH for publishing this story, I hope I never have you as a professor because your an idiot

Frat morons thinking about suing for defamation:

Truth is an absolute defense.

In other words, you put the truth of the statements at issue and the person you are suing now gets the power of the court system to investigate you. This would be pretty heavily involved, since you are trying to prove a negative - no Sigma Chi member raped the victim.

Now consider if you would really want to go through discovery on this subject, knuckleheads. This isn’t some idiotic IFC psuedo-proceeding.

• Law student

I hope the freshman who wrote this article gets rejected from the J-school because of this wreck.

11:34

I find greater fault in the editors for allowing Kevin Bargnes’ story to be published. It’s unsubstantiated and poorly written. Way to make what could have been a compassionate story highlighting the negatives of rape into a dry, chronological outline.

Sorry Kevin, you’ll never get to be Greta Van Susteren. Don’t let this ruin all of your dreams though.

-Law Student:

If the folks at Sig Chi were found innocent, I don’t understand why a defamation case wouldn’t hold water. Isn’t being innocent, the same as being not guilty? And doesn’t “not guilty” imply no involvement or wrong doing? The defamation case would only be pursued in the event of charges being dropped…or not filed at all (Duke Lacrosse, anyone?).

law student, The truth is a black and white issue. Something is either false or true. If it is false, then all the money and authority of the courts could not fabricate a falsehood as being true. Therefore it is reasonable to pursue the paper for publishing a story which clearly implicates and destroys a reputation based on little fact. When you are a 3L come back and post, but until then, stick to the books.

For all of you people saying there is a Herald bias against the Greek system, can I point out that the author, Kevin Bargnes, is in a frat?

Do you really think he wrote this story to try to make the Greek system look bad? I would bet he did it because he’s a journalist and believes people should be aware that this investigation is going on.

for those of you who are saying ‘well she drank too much, banged some dudes and is embarassed about it’

Honestly, go to hell. So every girl who drinks too much and gets taken advantage of has it coming? So if your girlfriend was out one night and had a few too many, well, she’s asking for it? Is that what you are saying? WTF if wrong with you?

NOBODY deserves this. No matter how much they drank, or how bad their rep is.

AND MAYBE THE GREEK SYSTEM SHOULDN’T HAVE MEMBERS WHO CLEARLY HAVE PROBLEMS CONTROLLING THEIR SICK SEXUAL DESIRES.

11:56 - You are a moron. Truth is a black and white issue? That’s nice.

You still have to prove that it is NOT true. Even if truth was on Sigma Chi’s side here - unlikely - you still need to actually develop substantiated facts supporting it.

The article says, substantively, that (a) a rape of this person occured and (b) it was allegedly committed by members of Sigma Chi. The newspaper also quotes other parties saying that Sigma Chi has other problems with rape.

That a rape occured is not something to dispute. There’s rather extensive medical evidence. The statements by the other people are not the responsibility of the Badger Herald. The BH isn’t making those up. You might as well see national media sued for running allegations against a public figure that turn out to be baseless. Hint: It doesn’t happen.

What you are left with is being unhappy about “allegedly commited by members of Sigma Chi.” Good luck on that. “Allegedly” is a wonderful word. In order to have any case at all, you’d have to go well beyond normal criminal prosecution levels of investigation, especially since members involved in said rape are unknown (and not going to say anything considering they are looking at 30 years in prison, strict liability given the circumstances of unconscious victim).

What Sigma Chi most likely has (giving them the benefit of the doubt) is a very large number of people who would be involved in this and very bad information on the actual facts. Does anyone actually know everything that might have happened at a drunken party? Hell no. Will people who do know damaging information TELL the house leadership? Not when they are facing what amounts to lifetime imprisonment.

You are essentially trying to prove that the BH had no basis at all for running that association with Sigma Chi. Nevermind the enormous PR damage a suit like this would cause and the fact it would dominate the frat for a couple years (assuming UW doesn’t hand down the death penalty, in which case it will just dominate the former members of the frat), it’s just not a winner.

And there is of course the issue of damages…what is Sigma Chi’s injury? Reputation? Apparently Sigma Chi’s reputation on this subject is already rather notoriously bad - I’m sure that would make lovely testimony and you’d better believe a lawyer would do that to you.

Now the women that have made statements unfavorable and damaging to Sigma Chi…again, do you really want to try to sue one of them? You still need to prove that it’s not true. The rape victim in particular would LOVE having legal process to interrogate frat members. Oh and this is Madison - not known for being particularly keen on attaking women. This would probably be national news as well.

Go back to the principal’s office and getting your friends to vouch for you. You don’t have any damn idea of how painful litigating something like this would actually be.

But by all means, go ahead with your “they said mean things about us” lawsuit because you’re a bunch of apes. Or pay a lawyer $600 for him to repeat exactly what I just told you.

i also heard something about a gang rape and it was along time ago, like around thanksgiving. now i dont know if it was a frat related incident but i remember hearing about something like this. for all of you that say this is fabricated, you are ignorant. this type of thing takes a long time to get over, if they ever do. it sounds like Sigma Chi has a history with this

11:54 - Sigma Chi isn’t going to be “found innocent.” That never happens. The Duke declaration was extremely unusual.

Courts don’t find people innocent, and even “not guilty” isn’t going to decide a collateral civil issue. If you think it helps, there’s someone in jail in Nevada with a $33 million judgment against him for wrongful death, initials O.J. You can LOSE a civil trial on a criminal act after a “not guilty,” nevermind not winning an action for false allegations.

This of course all assumes that people at Sigma Chi are actually not guilty. Suffice to say, they probably have a big problem with fraternity and certain member interests not being on the same page. Who would fess up to a Class C felony to help their brothers? You do know what happens with admssions of criminal acts, right?

oh just the Greek system? rapes only occur in frat houses right? this is a problem with the women on this campus. by getting blacked out drunk, you make yourself a target for any man with intentions of rape.

Kevin Bargnes is in a fraternity? A dollar says its not one of the five big houses.

Everything about this is a joke. The way the victim handled it, the piece of crap article, etc…

some of these insensitive and pro-greek comments are so sickening. seriously, you should have your heart checked at the hospital asap; or maybe doctors wont be able to find one. oops.

people hailing flags of sensational journalism should take an intro journalism class before bashing bh.

obviously, there are more potential rapists in this university than i thought; this campus community is no longer the one i believed it was. Either leave Madison or watch out more closely for yourself!

1:04 You are dumb.

It’s not like there are no feelings felt towards the girl. it’s just that it is now a much bigger issue than it had to be. For her to call out the entire greek system was way out of line, considering the fact that half the people in that house don’t live there.

If she had a name she would have given it… the fact is there was no evidence against sigma chi, and she decided to deal out the punishment herself by going to the press. This was the one way to get her version of the truth out, which she put together while apparently drugged.

The police probably decided to steer the investigation away from the members of the fraternity, while she clung to that notion… She got upset, decided that she would put her truth out there even though the police believed it to be unsubstantiated. If she is aware that what she told to a newspaper was not true, realizing they would print it, at the time, that would be slander.

The discussion shouldn’t be about whether BH should be held legally responsible (the burden of proof is hardly ever met in such a case) but rather if it is ethical to publish such an inflamitory article with the only proof stemming from comments made by one person and her best friend (all the facts surrounding this were contributed only by these two)? Responsible journalism relies on getting information beyond an anonymous complaint.

1:04:

If this isn’t sensational journalism and is based off any solid facts, why hasn’t any other news organization taken up the report? You’d think that all the big newspapers and TV stations in the state would make at least small issue over this, yet they haven’t… I wonder why? Maybe because a reputable news source would’ve never reported on this issue without substantial facts to back it up. It’s a sad story no doubt. But you have to also agree that the article is extremely one-sided, with many vague facts and poorly written.

Anonymous (March 4, 2009 @ 1:39pm): This is absolutely disgusting. I have lost what little respect I have for ANY member of ANY fraternity - if you choose to associate yourself with a group that includes people like this, then you deserve the same label. DISBAND ALL FRATERNITIES! From the stories we’ve been hearing lately, they appear to be a breeding ground for the scum of the earth.

WHY DON’T YOU SHUT THE HELL UP! I JOINED A FRATERNITY BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT MY UNIVERISTY AND WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY ALONG WITH FURTHERING MY ACACEMIC GROWTH. PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH!!!

SHUT THE HECK UP IF YOU HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY. PERIOD. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL OUT THE PEOPLE I ASSOCIATE WITH.

All this girl was trying to do was get attention. But why? Stupid if you ask me because now everyone is just gonna find out who it is through the gravevine, but I guess maybe thats what she wants.

All in all though, I can’t say there is substantial enough evidence to make me feel sorry for her. I just am not convinced.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/latest/441588

thanks, BH! your groundbreaking journalism has once again extended well beyond that of reporting facts…

In the Badger Herald’s defense, they should be allowed to substantiate the claims they have made in this article with hard evidence. However, if nothing comes out of this case then I would have to say that the Herald has made a serious mistake reporting this story, especially making it a front page article. Due to the hysteria involved in this matter I would expect the Herald to react quite hastily, as they should. I am still a firm believer of innocent until proven guilty, and certainly not guilty until proven innocent.

You honestly think some girl is going to come forward to lie about something that could possibly make her lose friends? Yeah, that makes a TON of sense. Your dumb, this story has some truth to it.

The police are doing an investigation. Its in the headline dumbass. They have been investigating…which means that she didn’t go tell the newspaper right away, she has been talking to the POLICE. It HAS BEEN investigating the matter.

You are an idiot if you think that she just randomly made this story up, randomly decided to go to the newspaper instead of the police. You are prolly from Sigma Chi and probably know something. Screw brotherhood. Fess up.

There have been no arrests but Schauf said there has been an active investigation since early October.

Wisconsin State Journal. She didn’t run to the paper.

If the women in question didn’t get a rape kit, she should be sued for slander.

that said, she got a rape kit which shows that she was gang raped after drinking with members of sigma chi. On that evidence alone the police should have already executed a search warrant on the frat house.

Dean of Students Lori Berquam has called for a campus forum to discuss sexual assault issues on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30pm (TITU).

at 1:24, your community doesn’t really want what you have to give back to it

stow your business major and get out of madison

I truly feel sorry for this girl. However, the Badger Herald is a worthless newspaper and shouldn’t even exist on the campus.

I think the Badger Herald should be very embarassed after publishing this article. I am friends with a tremendous amount of the Greek Community including Sigma Chis. When I went to Sigma Chi, I never felt more safe and comfortable around a group of guys. They have up to 20 members in the Langdon Street Watch Program. Here, they sacrifice their weekend nights to ensure safety on Langdon Street. Second, whoever says they should be “kicked off campus” is absurd. Losing Sigma Chi would be a big loss to the Greek System.

They were the only big house NOT on social probation. They VOLUNTARILY went on social probation. Every time they have a party, they run it the right way and I can’t imagine any of them doing such a crime.

In addition, the writer should be fired for this. No facts, no evidence, NOTHING. He is a freshman and clearly had no experience with researching and getting other people’s opinons besides this girl and SOME FACTS. It was all hearsay. Also, this girl’s friend should be ashamed of herself. There were so many lies from the girl’s friend.

I feel extremely bad for Sigma Chi and hope people still recognize them as one of the best fraternities on campus because of their leadership, community service, and high standards.

It’s amazing how much better written the articles in the Cardinal and the WSJ are than this one…

it is really useful to sit at a computer and argue with people you don’t even know, especially over a ridiculous newspaper, and some article that no one knows what actually happened. unless you were there don’t start judging people or making accusations! get off your ass and do something productive with your life!!!

“this is a problem with the women on this campus. by getting blacked out drunk, you make yourself a target for any man with intentions of rape.”

are you kidding me??? how many guys get blackout drunk each weekend? now what if you told them that from now on they would be making themselves a target for any man with intentions to rape them… screw you! who wants to have sex with a seemingly life-less body, that’s sick, desperate, and pathetic!

Shut the fuck up there are never more than 5-10 people in the langdon street watch you piece of shit liar. Go back to Sigma Chi and enjoy being expelled and never getting to put it on your resume.

The negative response to this woman’s accusations are disturbing. Blame and mistrust of the victim just proves how ignorant these commenters are. Obviously they have a bias toward the Greek community and lack common sense.

Hospitals have no legal obligation to alert police when a rape kit has been administered; it is up to the victim to press charges. Rape is a traumatic event,(in case you couldn’t figure that out) victims don’t always come froward right away.

The negative comments, undoubtedly posted by Greek supporters, just make them look defensive and in turn guilty by association.

People calling for a blanket DNA test of everyone should first read (and understand) the supreme court’s decision in davis v. mississippi. While this method may be used in other countries (mostly in europe) it has not been adopted here, with the idea that DNA testing should not constitute the primary form of investigation but rather be used against individuals (not groups) of whom there is specific reasoning to test.

Being a part of a 100 person student, of which a small number may have committed a crime, is not sufficient reasoning for all to be tested. By the same rational that they should all get tested since the odds are it was someone in that group, shouldnt we say that the odds are even HIGHER that it was someone on this campus or in this city (a more encompassing approach would be more conclusive for sure)? why not test every person in Madison? Why not take every persons DNA when born and keep it for situations like this? I understand the extrapolation made when making this argument, however, there is not a large distinction made between testing groups (rather then the suspected individuals) and testing entire subpopulations. The line needs to be drawn somewhere, and it cleary has: davis v. mississippi. Forensics should be directed at individuals who the police personally feel they have evidence to merit testing, not any and all associated people within a setting whose only connection is that of entire circumstance.

Sound like a lot or guys tried to join a fraternity and couldn’t get in… I wouldn’t want you in mine either…

From someone who has been sexually assaulted by someone I knew well: THANK YOU TO THE SURVIVOR WHO HAD THE COURAGE TO DO WHAT I NEVER DID. You are an inspiration for all of us living in silence and fear.

does anyone else find it ironic that everyone is so concerned about the alleged victims privacy but the herald went ahead and severly slandered an entire house and to a lesser extent the entire greek community

Frat dudes are brutish idiots and we need them off this campus. If the abundant accounts of rape weren’t enough, then their inarticulate and insensitive comments displayed abundantly on this page — showing complete lack of compassion for anything but their libidos — certainly are. Bye bye Sig Chi, and keep up the duteous grave digging for the amusement of the rest of us.

10:43 - I’ve gotta be honest, I care quite a bit more for a rape victim’s privacy rights than I do for the reputation of an organization.

No one is saying that everyone in Sigma Chi is involved in this sort of thing, but the fact of the matter is that this doesn’t appear to be an isolated instance. Plenty of people have been posting on here about hearing about it through the grapevine, so it obviously hasn’t been made too much of a secret.

The only critique I have for Sigma Chi and the Greek Community as a whole is that they are NOT stepping forward to aid in this investigation. The girl got raped. We may have trouble proving who raped her, but she got raped. The complete lack of empathy from so many of the posters is incredibly disturbing.

IMPLODE THE GREEK SYSTEM ONCE AND FOR ALL. FRAT BOYS MUST BE STOPPED.

DONT BLAME GREEKS FOR ALL OF YOUR PROBLEMS ASSHOLE!

Fraternities! Rich kids absolved of any public responsibility, thanks to their public standings!

You capitalist pieces of filth should be ashamed of yourselves.

Not all frat guys are rich buddy. I dont know where you get that from, but there are some great frats and soriorties on campus. If you don’t want to participate in the greek system thats fine, but don’t go bashing it for no reason, or because of one frat in general.

Let’s all step back for a moment and realize this is an isolated incident within the greek system. Let’s remember that if you don’t want to, you don’t have to go to their events.

Wait for the truth to come out, and then we can approach the situation

Have we all forgotten the Duke lacrosse rape scandal?

i would be willing to put money on it that everyone defending the frats are from the frats…you guys should just stay on langdon, use daddys cash, and get blow up dolls for your sick pleasures…and i will associate you with rape if youre in a frat because you allow that stuff to happen in your own house…if you didnt do anything(Sigma Chi) then come forward and give a DNA test…oh wait, that would take balls…something you dont have

last I checked this country was built on capitalism, I don’t know though maybe we should check on that one though..

I think everyone needs to step back and stop blaming. Was she raped? WE don’t know. Did she say she was raped? Yes, so let’s support her. Being a rape victim who actually DID press charges, I am a bit alarmed she is anonymous yet accuses all sigma chis in the form of wanting to kick them off campus. If you are going to completely alienate an entire fraternity because of the actions of a handful of people, then I don’t think the motives are all too anonymous.

I just graduated from the greek system a year ago, and it hurts to see such bad press. Bottom line, this happened in a greek house, so the greeks must get involved. But this doesn’t mean we need to lash out on the entire system.

I don’t know, my thoughts aren’t coming out too straight right now since I am trying to work and trying to NOT relate with her situation (as hard as it has been and it happened to me 6 years ago). But I just think that, all this discussion, it’s great, but why all the anger? Yes, we should be PISSED OFF at the men who did this. But why jump to conclusions and just blame the entire fraternity? Why blame the people who work at UW when, let’s be honest, we aren’t exactly getting the entire story from the good old badger herald. The story is sickening and the idea of her trip to the hospital the next day makes my stomach curl. I just think simply saying, a fraternity at UW, rather than wanting to tarnish the reputation of all of the men in Sigma Chi, would have sufficed.

But I do feel for her, and I wish that the girls in her house, whichever it may be, were as supportive as the girls I spent four years with were.

Do people at this school really not understand privacy rights? The hospital can’t say anything because of doctor/patient confidentiality, the police can’t say anything because the case is open, the girl didn’t say her name for obvious reasons, and the Dean’s office can’t say the student’s name either. The fact is, no one would lie about call the police if they didn’t do it. There are facts, they just aren’t able to be published in a newspaper.

This woman was roofied at Johnny O’s and doesnt remember anything after that? I would like to know how she would possibly be able to walk all the way back to the Sigma Chi house and continue to play beer pong - all the while being roofied… if anyone has any idea to what a roofie does to the body, they would certainly question this womans story and motive …

Also, this woman said she called her mother and told her…. I find it particularly interesting that her mother has played no other role in this story since it had supposedly happened 5 months ago. Would you not expect her mother to be the one who is with her during the interview?

Also, it seems particularly convienient that stories (AKA her friends testimony) about seeing guys in Sigma Chi drop roofies in drinks should come to light now. Who sees someone drop a roofie in a drink at a party and just shrugs it off and doesnt say something about it at that very instant? Better yet, what kind of friend had an experience where she saw someone try and roofie her at sigma chi then allows her best-friend to hang around sigma chi while she had been drinking?

…..It seems evident that there is some fabrication where, to what extent i am not sure, however, this is certainly the Badger Herald’s responsibility to prove or disprove, then according apologize for defamation, or accordingly follow-up with factual evidence to support the very bold statement that was made on wednesday.

Ah, yes, gotta love PC America. Most stereotypes of any kind are strictly frowned upon….unless of course, the stereotype has to do with a mostly white male group. In that case, then, stereotype all you want.

I agree that we need to wait and see all the facts before we jump to any conclusions in either direction. In reality, the only information we know as fact, is the information that SHE tells the BH…that’s it.

As for those who use the “why would someone make something like this up if it wasn’t actually true?” argument, see: Audrey Seiler

The bottom line is that this happened in the Sigma Chi house, and at least some of the rapists were probably Sigma Chi men. This was a heinous crime and the chapter should be suspended/kicked off campus/whatever it takes. This happened at their party with people they associate with, if not members of the frat. They need to be held responsible. I am a member of the Greek system, I feel that accountability is extremely important here. This happened at YOUR house, Sigma Chi! Step up, if it wasn’t any of your members, prove it! This is not a joke and not an attack on the Greek community, it is about being responsible for what happens in your house, at your party, and likely by your members. This woman is incredibly brave and strong for coming forward with her story and I hope she is remaining strong, I am behind you, and I hope the rest of this campus realizes how absurd it is not to be.

“The bottom line is that this happened at the Sigma Chi house, and at least some of the rapists were probably Sigma Chi men” … This is leading and unsubstantiated by anything but a single testimony that has been criticized as considerably skeptical. So I am afraid that there is certainly no “bottom line” here buddy.

…. dice comment

The fact that the “innocent” men of Sigma Chi are not fucking LINING UP to give DNA samples speaks loud and clear.

@5:23…This is why so many rape victims suffer in silence everyday…because there are people out there who are more concerned with protecting the reputation of a frat than protecting the safety of our women on campus. For the love of god, please stop trying to discredit those who are strong enough and brave enough to speak out.

seeing all the pressure that this fraternity is under i have doubts that they arent actively involved in dealing with this.

everyone who is complaining that they must be guilty because they havent stepped up is completely flawed in not recognizing that they likely are cooperating - but that they are doing so through the police - the responsible way matters like this should be dealt with. making this issue into a public spectacle solves nothing, dealing with the authorities does.

To the victim: whoever you are, I ( and likely the majority of the compassionate, intelligent men and women on this campus) support you. Yes, some facts are missing from your story- but we are neither the police nor a jury and it is not our role to separate facts from hearsay or ask for additional details, especially considering that the BH printed as much information as possible in order for you to remain anonymous and not compromise the investigation. I can see that many of us are hopeful for justice to be brought to the people who committed this terrible crime against you. At the very, very least, you should know that your story is ugly and terrifying and emotional: not easily forgotten, both men and women will be thinking of you as they make choices about drinking and other things. I believe that your bravery will deter similar crimes in the future.

To the men of SIgma Chi: As “annoying” as you might find it to have people coming up to you, or social probation, or dealing with your Nationals, these things will not change your life. Ten years from now, you will not still be hurting over inquiries from your friends, or even the loss of your fraternity. In the next ten years, you, unlike our victim, will be able to date members of the opposite sex without fear, will be able to maintain an intimate relationship, will be able to live alone if you choose, move to a different city, get married, work in an office with both men and women without fear, and attend doctor’s appointments without an anxiety attack. Unless you are one of the perpetrators of this awful crime, your life, past the next few months will be relatively untouched. As annoyed as you are now, be strong for this victim. Show her the compassion and respect that you would want another man to show your sister, mother, or girlfriend. Understand her utter frustration and fear at the way that the system has not helped her, and how THIS is seemingly the best way for her to find justice, protect herself, and to protect the other women on this campus.

pretty sure the reason she didn’t give her name is because the dumb f@cks like you people saying she made it up. it makes me sick that there are people who go to this school who automatically think that she is making this up. you make me ashamed to be a uw alum.

ps. i am female so i am not jealous that i am not in a “top five” frat. you people are ridiculous.

OKAY, so every Sigma Chi isn’t popping a roofie into some chick’s drink every night. But I know a couple who would actually do something like this. And I know a Sig Ep who might too, and there’s this creepy guy at Beta house, and if I knew anyone at most of the other frats, well,….. you guessed it. Most frats are like Hoofers: They’ll screw anyone if they think they can get away with it.

I hope all parties get what is due to them in this case. Regardless of the outcome, this is a smear on the UW and a smear on “Greek” life.

Thanks a lot 7:30 comment. I wish everyone could be as wonderful as you…oh and I wish you would have written the article, since you are great with words.

I fail to see how this article is bashing all greek members. As a non-greek, I don’t hold the greek system responsible, but the individual(s) that did this. With that said, there is no proof that she was roofied. However, if she was blacked out drunk she was not in a state to give consent. Sigma Chi should not be punished, but I hope the members have the decency and respect to this woman to volunteer DNA samples to prove their innocence. The journalism, while somewhat biased, provided the facts needed. People should not rush to judge before the real facts of the investigation (ie DNA analysis) are revealed. Until then this article needs to be taken as a warning to people on campus that these incidents do occur.

As a man, I applaud the courage of this woman for revealing her story. In the same respect, I am embarrassed by whoever did this. Let the facts speak for themselves and blame the individual, not the organization.

Many of my friends are in Sigma Chi. One of them told me that last night someone threw rocks through their front window. I understand some people are feeling angry, rightly so, but what gives anyone the right to take action like that and vandalize property. That is illegal in it’s own right and is making the people who have said negative things on this house look extremely hypocritical. Believe me what happened is awful i’m one to admit this is something that should never EVER happen, but don’t think you are better than the innocent men of the fraternity and think you can take action yourself because that is unjust. Think about your actions to help this girl in her efforts

I’m so proud of this young woman for sharing her story. I think a lot of girls are going to be more careful with themselves and aware of their friends. I am embarrassed by all of these ignorant people with their ridiculous reasonings of why this article is false.

i believe a majority story completely, however, this is yet another example of how the Badger Herald holds no legitmacy whatsoever. You just cannot print some things and consider yourself real journalists. I understand it is simply a college newspaper, but I find some of their comments entirely inappropriate, subjective, and based of “he said, she said” as opposed to actual fact.

As a woman who frequents multiple fraternities, I am saddened and angered by this story and so are many of the greek men (non-sigma chi members) that I know. I have many good friends in fraternities who are quality human beings. I also know some who are, shall we say, less than civilized. There are times that I have been left in the same situation as the alleged victim: extremely inebriated, without a female friend to walk home with, and stuck at the fraternity. I, however, was offered a futon to sleep on, or was walked home by a male friend who did not want to see me walk home alone. This is not to say that all fraternity members are honorable: but simply that fraternities do not have a higher density of criminals than anywhere else on campus. There are good and bad people. There were multiple sexual assaults committed last year outside of fraternities and based on statistics, I think we can say that there are likely more that have gone unreported.

However, I am very angered by the fact that many people believe that this is a malicious act on the part of the alleged victim to “destroy the reputation” of the fraternity. If this had happened in the Embassy, or College Court, people would not be decrying the “dirtying” of the reputation of the organization. Why is the reputation of the frat more important than the emotional and psychological success of a person who had the courage to tell her story? I agree that the entire fraternity should not be blamed for the actions of a few people, but it’s not like she is just shouting out “rape” with nothing behind it- she had a medical rape kit done and there has been an ongoing investigation.

Moreover, I’m extremely offended by the fact that people I have talked to and people who have commented on this article have brought up her sexual history, whether she dated members of the fraternity, and the fact that she, too, is a member of the greek community. It is criticisms like these that discredit victims. Her sexual history has nothing to do with whether or not she wanted to be penetrated (most likely by multiple people)so violently that she had bruises on her legs and face. Is a girl supposed to have been a virgin to be a credible rape victim? Perhaps she was supposed to have been wearing a turtleneck and floor-length skirt so that nobody thought she was inviting a sexual assault. And why should a woman on this campus not be able to drink and be merry without the fear of being taken advantage of? I find it very hard to believe that whoever she was with was drunk enough that he did not recognize that she was incapacitated and proceeded to cause those kinds of bodily injuries to her.

For those who take her to be less credible because she waited 5 months to tell the story to the newspaper: do you really think that it would have been possible to remain anonymous if she had told the story a week after it happened? Do you not think that Sigma Chi members would have deduced who she was and spread the word?

I know that I do not have extensive knowledge on the nature of rape laws, but one thing that perturbs me is that the dean of students, the police, and the hospital knew about this, and yet the students did not know. Like I said before, I know her anonymity would not have been possible if she had come forward right away. I recognize that rape cases are especially sensitive and publicizing them is up to the victim. However, for those women on campus who did not know about this alleged occurrence, they may have gone to Sigma Chi completely unaware. I feel like that lack of information is a danger to students, and had I gone to Sigma Chi, or any other fraternity with pending sexual assault investigations, without knowing about it, I would be furious. I am not really blaming anyone for this, and maybe it is beyond legal guidelines to expect it, but i would have liked to know.

the being fearful of the opposite sex comment is funny… i have seen the victim at bars flirting with guys the last few weekends

I grew up in a household where I had no brothers, so when I came to UW Madison this fall, the Greek community had an instant appeal to me, so that I could for the first time truly understand the meaning of brotherhood, and in my own personal experience so far I have not been disappointed. If brothers in my fraternity committed any sort of crime, from vandalism to rape, I would expect and demand that they would turn themselves in, so that the reputation of the fraternity, and all of their fellow brothers, would be saved, and that is why I call upon the alleged rapists to come forward, not only for the sake of the young woman who wants to move on with her life, but for the sake of the innocent brothers of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, whose reputations are scarred because of the actions of a few. If these “brothers” truly understood what it meant to be a brother, they would no doubt take responsibility for their own actions, and now allow their fellow brothers to suffer on their account.

I have a son and daughter in high school both in the process of selecting a school. Both have expressed interest in Madison. I have a concern with the lack of action being taken by the University. The Fraternities probation is self imposed (nice). In my opinion, the university has some responsibility to insure the safety and well being of the students. The reported incidents of rape date back to 2003. This article cause me to look a bit deeper and found hate crime incidents tied to the fraternity as well. Sigma Chi appears to have no regard for women or for folks that don’t share their views. Though this may not be true for all its members, it seems to have been a trend for quite some time. University of Wisconsin may not be the place for my children after all.

@6:53 pm

Wow yeah I guess being seen flirting with the opposite gender in bars definitely diminishes her credibility as a rape victim. I guess she’s not supposed to leave her house anymore to not give the impression that she might be living a normal life again, God forbid.

What is she complaining about? Most people pay for sex and drugs, she got both for free.

I am a Sigma Chi from a different Big 10 school and I am sickened by these allegations. Not only have you tarnished your chapter but you have left a stain on all other Sigma Chi’s around the country. I have always been pround of my fraternity and gave as much back to it that I could. Because of scumbags like you, who have obviously missed the point and values of this brotherhood, I am forced to be ashamed to be a Sigma Chi. I should have to take Sigma Chi off my resume because you ruinedit for me you SCUM

Do we all understand that it is UW policy that women can reside in frat houses? This would be a stunning hole in the moral fabric of the school, yes?

keep it real…..let me know whats going on you nihja