By: Emma Hennesay
STAFF WRITER
A fraternity at the University of Wisconsin has been suspended and is pending investigation by the school and its national organization after accusations that female guests were marked with color-coded Xs on their hands and given “date rape” drugs at a September 12th party at the fraternity house.
According to the search warrant affidavit, officers were called to a residence hall at the university at midnight on the 12th to help a young woman who was so intoxicated she could barely stand, and noted she had a red “X” on her hand. Fifteen minutes later, officers were called to assist another severely intoxicated woman at a nearby dorm, who too had a red “X” on her hand. While helping her, a nearby intoxicated man became sick in a trash can. Unlike the two females, he had a black “X” on his hand. His female friend with him officers noted had a red “X” on her hand as well. Both admitted to have had been drinking at the Tau Kappa Epsilon house previously in the night. Police arrived and broke up the party at 1:20 am, to find 42 people in the basement all with red or black “X” marks on their hands.
Three female students and one male student who were at the party that night were sent to the hospital for severe intoxication. One of hospitalized female guests told CNN that the fraternity sold all-you-can-drink cards for $8, but were “only on sale for females, and ‘you [had] to be hot’ to get one”.
The second hospitalized female student said a fraternity member made her a drink at the party and then “hid the cup out of sight”, causing her to pass out for 30 to 45 minutes after finishing it, according to CNN. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that other witnesses who attended the party affirmed to university police that cups were moved under the bar when drinks were mixed, and that drinks appeared cloudy when served. The last hospitalized female from the party noted that she experienced a “weird feeling and sensation” prior to blacking out, CNN reports.
A search warrant revealed that all the severely intoxicated women taken to the hospital had a red “X” on their hands. The one male who had a black “X” had taken a drink from the cup of one of his female friends.
Tau Kappa Epsilon officially revoked the membership of the University of Wisconsin’s chapter’s president as of September 23rd, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. The same fraternity was investigated last spring over allegations of sexual abuse charges. No charges were ever filed.