Friday, March 29, 2024

Sigma Nu asked to cease and desist; Rape reported

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Update: The national organization released a another statement Thursday  afternoon saying, “the Fraternity will take action, as may be appropriate, based on the findings of the investigation.”

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A cell phone camera video of a party at the house of Sigma Nu fraternity shows what may be the cause of the organization’s current scrutiny by MTSU officials and the fraternity’s national headquarters.

The video, purportedly filmed on Aug. 16, depicts a naked male fondling himself in a hallway crowded with other young men. As he makes his way to a bedroom, several beer cans can be seen sitting atop the fire extinguisher in the hallway. At the end of the second clip, the naked man is shown entering a bedroom and leaping on a mattress where there’s a young woman, her face seen for a second before she hides behind a pillow.

On August 18, the MTSU Police Department filed an incident report of an alleged rape at the Sigma Nu house on August 16. The MTSU police were unable to obtain any further information because the victim declined to file any charges.

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MTSU Police Department incident report

On August 20, the Office of Judicial Affairs released a statement to the fraternity ordering them to cease and desist all activities pending the outcome of an investigation after the office received reports of “alcohol violations and conduct unbecoming to a student organization.”

The release also read, “Given the organization’s current probationary status, and apparent disregard of that status, the university deems it prudent to issue this directive. The purpose of this directive is to prohibit additional infractions from occurring while determining further action.”

 

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Statement from the university

On August 22, the national office of Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. released a similar statement saying, “all activities of the The Iota (MTSU) Chapter are hereby temporarily suspended pending the outcome of an investigation. Any and all chapter activities must cease immediately.”

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Statement from Sigma Nu national

 

On September 4, Sidelines received an email with a video from the Sigma Nu house, allegedly from the night of August 16. The video depicts a young male running around naked, fondling himself, in a hallway crowded with other young men. The naked man runs past several beer cans sitting atop the fire extinguisher in the hallway, stroking himself, before ultimately leaping on a mattress in a bedroom where a young woman sits, hiding behind a pillow. Then, the video is cut off. Though the video does not contain an assault or any other crime, Sidelines has decided not to release the video due to the nudity and possible identification of the woman/possible victim. Below are screen grabs from the video.

 

When asked about the alleged assault, Andrew Oppmann, the university’s vice president of marketing and communication wrote, “The University cannot provide further specifics about the conduct under question, since its investigation  is ongoing and due to federal student privacy laws.”

At this time, Sidelines can neither confirm nor deny the rape in question

For more local news, follow us at www.mtsusidelines.com, on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter at @MTSUSidelines.

To contact news editor Sarah Grace Taylor email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.

 

2 COMMENTS

  1. “At this time, Sidelines can neither confirm nor deny the rape in question.”
    So you are saying its a rumor…..get your facts first before you report something rookie.

Comments are closed.

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