Swarthmore fraternities disband over leaked documents referencing "rape attic"
Two fraternities at one of the country's most prestigious liberal arts colleges have voted to disband over images and video that appear to show former members making racist remarks and joking about rape. Swarthmore College faced days of protests after the internal documents were leaked including dozens of students occupying the Phi Psi fraternity building .
Members of that fraternity said in a statement Tuesday night: "We cannot in good conscience be members of an organization with such a painful history." The campus's only other fraternity, Delta Upsilon, also decided to shut down overnight, reports CBS News' Meg Oliver. DU brothers said in a statement that it was "in the best interest of the Swarthmore community."
The closures come after two campus publications released what they say are fraternity videos and photos provided by an anonymous source last month. The material is dated between 2013 and 2016, and contains racist, homophobic and sexist comments – allegedly from brothers of Phi Psi. It also appears to show men kissing, groping and touching women who may not have known they were being recorded.
There's even reference to Delta Upsilon having a "rape attic" in its building. One Swarthmore senior showed us what she describes as a similar room at Phi Psi where she claims she was sexually assaulted in their building her freshman year.
Swarthmore officials wouldn't tell us if they plan to ban Greek life moving forward but in an email to students, president Valerie Smith said Swarthmore is "committed to fully investigating any allegations of sexual misconduct" and violations of its student code.
The Phi Psi fraternity is not associated with any national organization, including Phi Kappa Psi, which said in a statement that it is "appalled and shocked by their actions."