The Cornell 57
When Greek life protects their own, how do we keep us safe?
Camille Jackson
CONTENT WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
When you walk down the frat row on University Avenue, one of the most striking houses is Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE). Two large golden lion statues guard their fenced front lawn. As a freshman I was told of their reputation as the “Sexual Assault Expected” frat. Upperclassmen warned me of rumors that when SAE paints the lions red, it means they have taken something from a girl. The worst part of these rumors is they are completely commonplace and even accepted in Greek life culture.
This acceptance leads to a violent culture that allows cases like the Cornell 7 and the 50 complicit bystanders that protected the rapists’ secrets over the safety of Jane Doe to persist. For reference, a Cornell University student was coerced into taking ketamine in October 2024 and, while she was inebriated, she was raped by fraternity members. The men assaulting her updated a group chat of 50 other members that did not interfere. Jane Doe’s story and recent lawsuit against the men has sparked a movement of women telling their stories.
This story is similar to multiple events that happened on the University of Minnesota campus.
In 2014, University of Minnesota junior Abby Honold was raped by Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity member and serial rapist Daniel Drill-Mellum. In the aftermath, similar to Jane Doe, UMN fraternities and sororities covered for Drill-Mellum. In the docuseries, “House of Horrors: Secrets of Greek Life,” Honold recounted fraternity members sending a secret recording of her to the police to legally discredit her and coordinating efforts to socially isolate his many victims. Despite Honold’s word and a sexual assault nurse examiner’s report which showed extensive injuries, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office closed her case.
It took two years of fighting, help from Aurora Center legal resources, and another victim revealing her story for MPD to finally take action. Drill-Mellum was sentenced to just over six years in prison, but only served four. He was released in 2020. Honold has since dedicated her life to activism and helped create the Abby Honold Act, which is intended to provide law enforcement with traumainformed training.
Just last year, two University of Minnesota students accused two ROTC students of drugging and assaulting them during a night out. One of the girls went public about the assault on the UMN 2029 Snapchat story, where she faced criticism for her facial expressions throughout the video. Students in the comments claimed this as proof that she was lying for attention, again defending abusers and gaslighting survivors.
The problem is that these cases are not rare.
A culture of misogyny and humiliation remains rampant in our institutions. Greek life alumni have significant influence in our university and connections with law and government. These men will become powerful politicians and business leaders in the Epstein Class. It has been made clear that institutions will not hold them accountable without extensive outcry.
How do we change our culture to prevent more harm in the future?
Our first instinct is to turn towards the carceral system. If the abuser does end up being charged, they will go to prison for a few years and come out labelled as a sex offender.
This route does not center the survivor or lead to healing but instead prioritizes punishment. Honold recounted the legal process as incredibly re-traumatizing and cited this as the reason why more of Drill-Mellum’s victims remained anonymous and didn’t pursue charges. During the process, the detective and MPD belittled her and told her that she wouldn’t be successful in her case.
Prisons are notorious for their intense culture of sexual assault. A 2024 report from The US Department of Justice noted “in 2020, correctional administrators reported 36,264 allegations of sexual victimization in prisons, jails, and other adult correctional facilities.” This included inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate assaults. On September 28, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that two incarcerated women at Northwest Regional Corrections Center in Crookston, Minn. said Corrections Officer Irving Bravo sexually assaulted them.
This environment does not prepare abusers to reenter society as a reformed person.
To proactively change the culture, we need to center supporting survivors and actually hold perpetrators of violence accountable. In our interpersonal relationships we need to practice accountability for ourselves and push others out of their comfort zone. We can no longer be bystanders to our culture.
If you or someone you know has faced sexual violence, The Aurora Center provides resources to help those affected. Their office is located in Appleby room 340 or they can be reached at their 24/7 hotline: (612) 626-9111.