Editor’s Note: The content in this article mentions sexual assault and drugging.
A student activist group, referring to themselves as Riot Moon, on Monday night smashed the windows and spray painted parts of Chi Phi and Sigma Alpha Mu. The group said in a statement to The Sun that the vandalism at Chi Phi came in response to a recent report of sexual assault and drugging at the house and at Sigma Alpha Mu due to “a pattern of excusing sexual assault.”
Riot Moon wrote that they were “declaring a campaign against fraternities as mass perpetrators of sexual violence on campus.”
Chi Phi was suspended after an individual reported being sexually assaulted by several males and coerced into consuming ketamine and other drugs on Oct. 25 at the house.
When The Sun tried to reach Chi Phi by phone on Tuesday morning, the call was immediately hung up after a Sun editor began to ask for comment.
Sigma Alpha Mu President Cristobal Ramirez ’25 wrote in a statement to The Sun that the fraternity “take[s] all allegations with the utmost seriousness and investigate[s] them accordingly.”
According to Ramirez, Sigma Alpha Mu recently unanimously voted to evict a member of the organization based on sexual assault allegations, “underscoring our dedication to holding ourselves accountable.” Two years ago, the fraternity also expelled “a former member from our fraternity for having multiple active Title IX allegations,” according to Ramirez.
Ramirez added that “Sigma Alpha Mu has absolutely zero tolerance for sexual assault.”
“We are deeply disturbed and disgusted by the allegations against Chi Phi, including drugging and sexual assault … We understand the anger and frustration that led to last night’s destructive actions by ‘Riot Moon,’” Ramirez wrote. “However, we don’t condone any further damage to our house. We will now investigate the possibility of further accusations we may not have been aware of.”
“Moving forward, we will continue to take decisive action to make sure that our chapter does not contribute to or condone any form of abuse,” Ramirez wrote.
According to Riot Moon’s statement, the group left a letter at the doors of both fraternities stating, “Fraternities were created to consolidate white male power and perpetrate violence, abuse, and rape in our communities. We no longer tolerate a culture that teaches men to rape, the use of sexual violence to subjugate others, or a ‘justice system’ that continually forces survivors to relive their trauma and leaves abusers unpunished and un-shamed.”
The group wrote that they do not trust the police and Cornell administration to “keep us safe” in the letter left at the fraternity doors, stating: “We keep us safe by any means necessary.”
“Destroying systems of male domination and rape culture wherever it exists, from cornell to the white house, is our moral imperative,” the letter states. “This university continues to pour money into weapons and genocide instead of addressing rape, lack of access to reproductive care, and the ongoing mental health crisis on this campus.”
The statement continued: “All fraternities and all brothers are complicit; Chi Phi, Lambda, Ridgewood, we know your guilt and you do too.”
Lambda Chi Alpha declined to comment. Jon Yeung ’26, president of the Interfraternity Council, did not respond to a request for comment.
Members of the Cornell Community may consult with the Victim Advocacy Program by calling 607-255-1212 and with Cornell Health by calling 607-255-5155. Employees may call the Faculty Staff Assistance Program at 607-255-2673. An Ithaca-based crisis line is available at 607-272-1616. The Tompkins County-based Advocacy Center is available at 607-277-5000. For additional resources, visit health.cornell.edu/services/victim-advocacy.
Ben Leynse ’27 contributed reporting.