After hundreds of protestors stood outside Theta Chi Fraternity at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and thousands more signed a petition regarding sexual assault allegations, some are now worried their concerns aren’t being taken seriously.
Benjamin Rozak, the student president of the local chapter, has appeared on video along with multiple other members of the fraternity dancing while captions appear referencing the ongoing allegations and protests against the fraternity.
One of Snapchat videos that appeared shortly after a protest Sunday shows Rozak in a room full of men and women. He appears to be nodding his head and dancing along with the caption “allegations.”
Another video shows a group of people in the Theta Chi chapter house with a caption that read, “daddy’s money.” Protestors outside the house were chanting “daddy’s money” earlier that day.
The following part of Rozak’s alleged story, captioned, “Sweet,” shows broken windows inside what appears to be the Theta Chi chapter house. This clip is followed by a video of the car that was flipped on its side at Sunday night’s protest with the caption, “that’ll buff out.”
The Snapchat story was shared widely on Reddit with a caption that read, “Theta Chi’s presidents private story blatantly not caring about what’s occurring with his frat.”
MassLive reached out to Rozak for comment on the online reaction and did not receive a response.
Theta Chi’s national organization told MassLive they “continue to gather facts” regarding the allegations, which surfaced on anonymous social media platform Yik Yak in recent days. Users alleged incidents of sexual assault occurred at the fraternity.
“These allegations resulting from an anonymous post on Yik Yak have caused an uproar of violence on campus and Theta Chi asks local law enforcement to continue to provide safety for all students,” the national fraternal organization said in a statement.
“Threats to or actions resulting in harm to Theta Chapter members or chapter/personal property will continue to be reported to law enforcement and the University of Massachusetts,” the statement read.
There were two arrests made at the protest on Sunday for charges of disorderly conduct but Monday’s protest was peaceful, according to Amherst police.
There is a petition with over 23,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon calling for the removal of Theta Chi from the UMass campus. This is the second petition in a year calling on this action.
Students also held a sit-in in the administration building to protest the fraternity.
Theta Chi was put on interim suspension in the spring as the school conducted investigations into an alleged large party that would have broken COVID-19 protocol. The group was allowed to continue recruiting during this time.
The fraternity was also suspended in 2018.
Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan issued a statement Wednesday urging people who made the allegations anonymously to come forward.
“We know that sometimes an important step in healing from the trauma of a sexual assault is to see the alleged perpetrator called to account. We also understand that some victim-survivors are suspicious of authorities because they fear they will not be believed or their cases will not be handled properly,” Northwestern Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Suhl said. “Our office has a proven history of successfully investigating and prosecuting cases of campus sexual assault. We want to assure survivors of sexual assault that we are here to support them if they choose to come forward.”
By Tuesday afternoon, no survivor or witness filed a complaint or a report with officials, according to the university.
“While we respect and support a survivor’s decision whether or not to report an assault or pursue sanctions, we cannot take action against alleged perpetrators, whether they be individuals or organizations, without actionable evidence,” UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said. “We strongly encourage anyone with direct knowledge of or information related to the alleged Theta Chi incident, or any incident of sexual assault or misconduct, to contact university authorities immediately.”
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- Sexual assault allegations against Theta Chi lead to 2nd protest at UMass; 20,000 sign petition to remove fraternity
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