Police investigating sexual assaults at USC fraternity house [UPDATED]

Updated at 1 p.m.: Michael L. Jackson, USC vice president of student affairs, confirmed that the university has received reports of alleged sexual assaults involving three female students at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house early Wednesday morning.

“USC takes sexual assaults very seriously and is fully cooperating with the LAPD on the investigation,” Jackson said in a statement. “We are reaching out to the students and providing as much help as possible. We are also conducting our own investigation into student conduct issues and have placed the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity on interim suspension until all the facts are known."

Updated at 11:30 a.m.: Capt. Dennis Cremins of the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery and Homicide Division said that police have one confirmed victim of an alleged sexual assault. The woman made a statement to investigators. The division's rape unit is investigating the alleged assault.

Cremins said the crime occurred at a mixer at the fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha and that detectives had been at the scene all night.

Cameron Kay, president of the USC chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, declined to comment on the investigation.

Original post:

Los Angeles police detectives are investigating three sexual assaults that allegedly occurred at a USC fraternity house early Wednesday morning.

The assaults were reported in the 700 block of West 28th Street, university officials said.

More information about the suspect or victims was not immediately available from the university or the Los Angeles Police Department, whose Robbery and Homicide Division is handling the case.

The university sent out a crime alert at 9:42 this morning.

-- Jia-Rui Chong and Richard Winton

Comments

[Steve]

I must say that I am deeply disappointed in the USC education that you USC alums received. If you truly believe that the greek system can be blamed for an incident like this, then you were not taught to think critically. Look at the facts: Sexual assault rates are no higher on campuses with a larger greek community. On top of that, the all-greek male GPA is higher at USC than the overall male GPA. Fraternities alone raise around $100,000 per year for charity, and the president of the undergraduate student government is a member of a prominent fraternity. Fraternity members hold a disproportionate amount of leadership positions on campus, and USC would be much worse off without a greek community. If you don't like it, got to a school that doesn't have one.

[Steve]

I must say that I am deeply disappointed in the USC education that you USC alums received. If you truly believe that the greek system can be blamed for an incident like this, then you were not taught to think critically. Look at the facts: Sexual assault rates are no higher on campuses with a larger greek community. On top of that, the all-greek male GPA is higher at USC than the overall male GPA. Fraternities alone raise around $100,000 per year for charity, and the president of the undergraduate student government is a member of a prominent fraternity. Fraternity members hold a disproportionate amount of leadership positions on campus, and USC would be much worse off without a greek community. If you don't like it, got to a school that doesn't have one.

[A friend]

It's still happening. Maybe this frat was suspended or sanctioned or whatever, but a year and a half later, incidents like this are still occurring. What evil possesses someone to drug a girl and rape her? So premediated, so heartless.