IOWA CITY, Iowa — Students at the University of Iowa are calling for the removal of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, more commonly known as the Fiji House, from campus following rape allegations made concerning an incident last fall. For the past two nights thousands of students have gathered to make their voices heard on the matter. On top of that, over 103,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the fraternity's removal as well.
Students gathered outside the fraternity house on Tuesday night, with events escalating into smashed windows and overturned cars. Wednesday night students gathered outside the university president’s home to once again protest the fraternity’s presence on campus.
The allegations stem from an incident that happened September 5th, 2020. The Johnson County attorney is now asking for community help on the allegations, releasing a statement saying, “The Johnson County Attorney's Office and Iowa City Police Department are requesting the public’s assistance in further investigating a sexual assault alleged to have occurred Sept. 5, 2020, at the Iowa Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) Fraternity House on Ellis Avenue in Iowa City… We have and will continue to take allegations of sexual assault seriously and will investigate them to the fullest extent.”
The investigation isn’t enough for some students. They want to see the fraternity kicked off campus for good. University of Iowa sophomore Camryon Mosty says it was a matter of taking things into their own hands.
“It’s been a whole year since the incident happened and nothing has happened to those individuals that did it or the fraternity that just let it happen," said Mosty.
The university follows a procedure led by the Department of Student Accountability.
Fraternities and sororities can be kicked off campus for failure to follow rules laid out by the university. According to the university’s website, the Phi Gamma Delta frat was put on probation last October. The website says it was due to “failure to comply with a university directive, other volatile conduct, and failure to observe polices.”
It's unclear what that conduct, or those policies exactly were, but the fraternity was entirely off of probation by May of this year.
Freshman Camdyn Schmit just got to campus a few weeks ago. She says it’s scary to see something like this happening in a place she assumed to be safe.
“I think it’s just ridiculous being around this," she said. "You think you go to this college and will be safe but you see this happen and it’s right in your back yard and it’s really upsetting.”
The fraternity also released a statement on the matter saying, “Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) does not tolerate sexual violence and takes any allegation very seriously. Our University of Iowa chapter took quick and decisive action in September 2020 to remove two members of the chapter who were alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct...”
The statement goes on to say that no criminal charges were filed related to the matter, and that the fraternity fully cooperated with the university and local police regarding the issue.
There’s a third protest happening September 2nd. This one is expected to take place on the lawn of the Pentacrest on University of Iowa’s campus at 8:00pm.
“I want to feel safe and I feel like this university doesn't care about us," said Mosty. "They don't care about our safety and it’s just not fair and it’s just really unsettling that they would allow them to go on like this.”
The university sent a message to all students saying they hear students' concerns over the matter and also condemn all acts of sexual violence. The university goes on to say that in order to complete an investigation, anyone with information on this case or any others must come forward and file a report with the Office of Institutional Equity.
Despite the statements and efforts by the campus to reassure students, junior Sydney Christofferson says she has never seen something like this on campus in her two years there.
“Silence doesn’t do anything," she said. "I think it’s really good people are putting their voices out there. I would like to see the university make a difference and show some accountability for the actions that took place last year.”
The thousands of protestors are making it clear, these student voices aren’t going anywhere.