A fraternity at St Andrews University has ‘suspended two members’ after more than a dozen sexual assault allegations were made.
Instagram account St Andrews Survivors started sharing anonymous accounts of the allegations at the world-famous Scottish university last week.
At least a dozen claims were made against members of the 50-strong fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), which ‘immediately suspended members involved in current allegations’ and vowed to include ‘mandatory consent education and anti-rape culture education’ in new member and chapter programming.
Police and St Andrews are now urging sexual assault victims at the university to step forward and bring their assailants to justice.
A university spokeswoman told MailOnline that AEPi is not an official St Andrews society but vowed to ‘take action’ and ‘facilitate Police reporting’.
A fraternity at St Andrews University has ‘suspended two members’ after more than a dozen sexual assault allegations were made (stock photo)
According to its bio, the St Andrews Survivors account aims ‘to expose the reality of sexual abuse at our university’ and ’empower survivors’.
A university spokeswoman told MailOnline that not all accounts shared by the channel occurred at St Andrews, and predated students’ time there.
One anonymous post said: ‘I was out drinking and had met a frat boy through friends. I had a meltdown outside The Union and he comforted me, I explained that I had been sexually assaulted on another night out.
‘He offered to take me to his for some water since he lived nearby and I didn’t. I was very drunk and so he put me to bed and he was going to sleep on the floor.
According to its bio, the St Andrews Survivors account aims ‘to expose the reality of sexual abuse at our university’ and ’empower survivors’
‘I woke up sometime later and he was in the bed with me feeling me up. I can’t believe anyone could do this.’
One female student described an alleged incident from this February, telling The Daily Telegraph: ‘I had been at a frat party and got very drunk. One of the boys I knew said he’d walk me home. I thought he was someone I could trust.
‘He put me to bed and the next thing I remember is waking up to him raping me. I ran out and I was in quite a state. I ended up locking myself behind the bathroom door because I didn’t want to go out.’
She has not reported the incident to either the university or the police.
‘It’s difficult when you know these people are still going to be around and I’m still going to see them. I obviously want them to get what they deserve, but I’ve just sort of been debating the best way to do that and how to go about it,’ she added.
The 50-strong fraternity said in a statement: ‘Alpha Epsilon Pi St Andrews was made aware of allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and rape against multiple members of our fraternity, including incidents at chapter events. We find the contents of these allegations abhorrent, and are taking them extremely seriously.
ALPHA EPILSON PI’S VOW TO STAMP OUT SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT
In a statement, the fraternity said: ‘Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity unconditionally opposes, and its conditions of membership absolutely prohibit, any conduct considered as ‘sexual harassment’ or ‘sexual assault’. This includes such behaviours as repeated propositioning, coercive pressure, unwanted touching and physical violence.’
It then compiled a list of reforms including the suspension of all members involved in current allegations and a review of the chapter leadership to hold them accountable for the actions of its members:
‘Coming forward in any capacity takes tremendous bravery, and we want to thank everyone who has both told their stories and those who have supported them as we confront these difficult issues. We hear you, and want to help.’
It added: ‘The chapter was unaware of these allegations before they were brought to light. As soon as chapter leadership was made aware of the allegations we assembled our members to gather additional information.
‘Following these discussions, the chapter immediately suspended members who acknowledged any role in the alleged incidents and entered them into Alpha Epsilon Pi’s expulsion process, which allows for thorough investigation, a standard that will apply any time more evidence comes to light.’
But one assault victim told The Telegraph that the problem has been ongoing for years, claiming: ‘In their statement they said they had been unaware of the accusations, but I know concretely that they knew about them.
‘Last academic year I made it clear to them that I and my best friend are survivors of sexual assault by AEPi, and they did not seem to take that to mean anything.’
A spokeswoman for the University told MailOnline: ‘We welcome the ‘St Andrews Survivors’ account’s efforts to provide people of all genders a space to voice their experiences of sexual misconduct.
‘The Proctor met with the account creator this week to establish how we can work together to signpost support and reporting mechanisms to students who require them. It is categorically untrue to suggest the University tried to suppress survivor testimonies, as the account creator has made clear.
‘The University’s primary concern is to ensure Survivors know that we are ready and willing to support their decisions and take action, facilitate Police reporting, and provide ongoing support accordingly.
‘We appreciate these are difficult issues to speak about, but our Student Services team has a 90 per cent satisfaction rating amongst students, and Survivors who wish to see perpetrators investigated must be willing to make reports through the appropriate channels.
‘We have clear and established procedures for investigating allegations of this nature. However, the details of any investigations must remain confidential to offer appropriate support and fair outcomes to all concerned.
‘It would not be appropriate for us to comment on whether any specific individual or group is under investigation.
Police are urging victims to come forward and bring their ‘assailants’ to justice (stock photo)
‘The University will always act when incidents are formally reported, and is committed to working collaboratively with students to promote a culture of responsibility and respect, in which everyone can trust in our procedures and that our community is intolerant of all forms of sexual misconduct.’
Police Scotland told MailOnline that no crime has been reported but confirmed they are working with St Andrews University.
Yvonne Stenhouse, Community Inspector for North East Fife, told MailOnline said: ‘We are aware of these online reports and are working with the university to make sure students in St Andrews feel safe while they live and study in the town.
‘We are committed to bringing sexual offenders before the courts and treat all reports of sexual crime with the utmost seriousness. Anyone wishing to report such offences should do so to Police Scotland by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.
‘Within busy town centres, such as St Andrews we have regular deployments of officers to deter such offences and provide a visible and reassuring presence to our communities. We will continue to work with the University on this matter and any criminal complaints will be progressed accordingly.’