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On Campus

Hundreds protest outside IFC chapter houses Tuesday alleging sexual assault

Abby Presson | Asst. Culture Editor

Protesters initially gathered at Psi Upsilon but their numbers grew as they visited other fraternities on Comstock and Walnut Avenues.

By Karoline Leonard, Richard Perrins, Shantel GuzmanThe Daily Orange

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Syracuse University students protested recent sexual assault allegations across multiple Interfraternity Council chapters on campus on Tuesday night.

A small group of protesters gathered at the Pi Chapter House of Psi Upsilon Fraternity at around 9 p.m. to protest what they said was the university’s failure to protect survivors of sexual assault and to hold assaulters accountable. 

Although the idea for the protest initially only involved Psi U, those leading the protest decided to demonstrate at other fraternity houses as well. The organizers said they went to the other houses because the problem is universal among the IFC at SU.

Natalie Pomerantz, a junior in the School of Education, joined the protest when it started at Psi U after learning about it on the anonymous social media app Yik Yak. Soon enough, she was leading the chants. 



“It’s not a singular frat’s problem. It’s a whole system. It’s the whole system of Greek life. And it needs to be amended and needs to be abolished,” Pomerantz told The Daily Orange. “Because enough is enough. Too many women have been hurt. Too many people have been hurt.”

From Psi U, the group moved down Comstock Avenue, making stops at IFC chapter houses Theta Chi and Lambda Chi Alpha.

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By 10 p.m., the group of protesters had reached around 200 people, and the demonstrators headed to Walnut Avenue.

The protesters stopped at Phi Kappa Theta and Delta Kappa Epsilon, eventually reaching Chancellor Kent Syverud’s house. The group then returned to Walnut and Comstock Avenues, where they stopped at Zeta Beta Tau, Alpha Epsilon Pi and Phi Kappa Psi before returning to Psi U. Finally, they protested outside of Delta Upsilon.

At each house they went to, protestors yelled for fraternity members to come out and face the crowd. No member ever did. 

“No matter how progressive a fraternity pretends to be, they will always protect their brothers at the end of the day because the brotherhood to them is more important than female safety on this campus,” one of the demonstrators said during the protest. 

As protests moved around the university area, demonstrators called on IFC and SU to make changes to their systems to better protect women. 

“IFC, do better by all the women and all the people on this campus who have been survivors of sexual harrassment, abuse, assault and rape by the members of your Greek life community,” one of the protest leaders said. “(IFC) must keep educating the men on sexual misconduct, consent and sexual health and violence. There must be better systems in place to hold these perpetrators accountable when they commit horrendous acts.”

At some of the fraternity houses, the protest extended onto the property. At Psi U, demonstrators climbed the hill in front of the house to knock on the door and demonstrate on the porch.

Protesters also chanted criticisms against Title IX and the university’s failure to address sexual assault issues on campus. 

“Sexual assault is a serious problem, especially on college campuses, and especially on Syracuse campus,” Pomerantz said. “Fraternities in Greek life need to be held accountable.”

In 2020, SU’s Office of Institutional Research released a report detailing a survey of students that had experienced sexual violence on SU’s campus. About 19% of SU students who participated in the survey said they have experienced nonconsensual sexual contact at SU.

Of these students, only about 5% filed a report.

One of the protest leaders, who did not give their name, told The D.O. that the university needs to do more to protect women on campus.

“Kent (Syverud) has failed us. The university has failed us. DPS has failed us. They have failed at protecting women,” the leader said. “They have failed at believing women and all people, for that matter. They have failed at holding their men accountable.”





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