Students Protest TKE Fraternity After Drug Allegations

Some UWM students are angry. And they’re through being silent.

A crowd of Milwaukeeans and students gathered Thursday night to march in protest of the continued presence of the Tao Kappa Epsilon (TKE or “teek”) fraternity on the UW-Milwaukee campus. Starting at Riverside Park, hundreds of students and their allies carried their signs and voices through the campus area up a temporarily blocked Oakland Ave to the steps of the TKE house.

Following a Sept. 12 party, some members of the fraternity are under investigation for allegedly using date-rape drugs to incapacitate and lower the inhibitions of the female attendees. The allegations have already led to the unrelated drug charges against the fraternity’s president (including for keeping a drug house) and the group’s suspension by university officials.

Under “Take Back the Night”—which is a rape awareness organization that has been around since the 70s—the march comes as “Safety Week” at UWM begins to wane, an irony many present were painfully aware of. Indeed, some march participants carried red plastic cups as a reference to the allegations that women at the TKE party were drugged.

In a campus-wide newsletter, the Dean of Students wrote a reminder to be responsible, and directed students to UWM’s “making good decisions” webpage. Many at the march believed the letter was not enough, and some said it was even offensive.

“The Dean of Students had put out something saying women on campus should just not drink or get drunk,” says Tom Johnson. “Instead of speaking out against men raping women, or rape occurring at all, it was that you should watch yourself because it’s basically something that’s going to happen to you. That’s obscene. That’s a ridiculous assertion. You shouldn’t have to worry about people assaulting you.”

This is the shared belief among the crowd, which had a range of signs addressing victim shaming and rape culture on campus. Signs like “Don’t Get Raped?? How About Don’t Rape??” and “Society Teaches Us ‘Don’t Leave Your Drink Alone’ Rather Than ‘Don’t Drug People’” were among the many being carried to the Chapter House.

The protest grew larger as it marched along, but advocates also faced opposition and ridicule from those sitting on their front porches to watch them go by. Obscenities and taunts were yelled by some in the neighborhood, but for the most part they were lost in the protesters’ chants or ignored. One young man shouted “Make out! Make out!” from his balcony before erupting into laughter.

Once on the TKE front lawn, the crowd halted. Women and men stood in front of the porch to share personal experiences and feelings regarding sexual assault.

One woman shared how her first time having sex was waking up to it with a man she thought she knew, who told her she couldn’t expect to stay at a man’s house and not have to pay for it.

Another woman revealed that, as a 12-year-old girl growing up in the neighborhood, there were multiple occasions where she and her friends were solicited by “frat-boys” to drink and do drugs with them.

Two houses down, young men watched from their porch and balcony. There were rumors that, for their safety, the TKE members had been staying at this house for the time being. Cops were standing in front of said house, but nothing has been confirmed regarding the whereabouts of the TKE members.

Once everyone who wanted to speak had said their piece, the crowd made its way back down Oakland to Riverside Park. From there they dispersed, but not before making their concerns and demands known once more.

A young woman began the demands with a college and curriculum that knows a “rape problem is not the same as a drinking problem,” again referencing the university administration. Similar calls were made regarding a person’s right to feel safe on the street, let alone be safe on campus.

With the recent launch of President Obama’s “It’s On Us”—a public service campaign that calls for an end to sexual assault by refusing to be bystanders—as well as numerous sexual assault cases on campus being brought to light (e.g. Emma Sulkowicz and her mattress at Columbia University), many present question how UWM will fare in the fight to champion in women’s rights, and those of victims across the gender spectrum.

“I don’t think it really matters if you’re a man or a woman or you’re trans,” says Kelly McGourty. “You’re a human being. It doesn’t matter if you want to go have a few beers: You shouldn’t have to worry about being clubbed over the head and being dragged back to a cave.”