What happened at the house doesn't have to stay there.
Greek life runs on loyalty and silence. This is where the silence breaks. We collect anonymous accounts of sexual violence connected to fraternities and sororities on U.S. campuses. Every account is counted by campus and chapter, so the pattern is on the record even when the institutions look away.
Share what happened
Anonymous. Tell us as much or as little as you want, from last semester or from decades ago.
Find support
Hotlines, free medical care, counseling and legal help, including options if you have no insurance.
See the evidence
Peer-reviewed research and the cases that made headlines, with links to every source.
Why chapters, and not names
Survivors are told their story is a single bad night, one bad guy, a misunderstanding. Chapter-level data tells a different story: the same houses, the same parties, the same group chats, year after year.
We ask where it happened and which chapter was involved. We do not publish the names of individuals, yours or anyone else's. That protects you, and it keeps the focus on the organizations and universities that let this continue.
Pledge of Silence is not a police report or a Title IX complaint. If you want either of those, our support page explains how, and nothing you share here stops you from doing it later.
If this happened recently: you can get a free forensic medical exam at most hospitals without reporting to police, and medication to prevent HIV works best if started within 72 hours. What to know about medical care.
Share what happened
Every question is optional. Skip anything, stop anytime. You won't be asked for your name, email, or phone number.
Before you start
- For more privacy, use a private or incognito window on a device that's yours.
- Campus Wi-Fi can be monitored. Mobile data or home internet is safer.
- The form is end-to-end encrypted through CryptPad. Not even the form host can read what you write.
- Every account is reviewed by a person before anything is published.
The research
Decades of studies point in the same direction. These are the findings most often cited, with the original sources linked.
First-year men who joined fraternities were three times more likely to commit sexual assault than men who didn't join, even though the two groups looked similar when they arrived on campus.
Foubert, Newberry & Tatum (2007), NASPA Journal 44(4). Read the study
In a survey of 779 women at a public university, sorority members were four times as likely to have been sexually assaulted during college. The gap stayed large even after accounting for drinking and attendance at Greek parties.
Minow & Einolf (2009), Violence Against Women 15(7). Abstract on PubMed
The largest campus climate survey in the U.S., with more than 181,000 students at 33 schools, found that nonconsensual sexual contact by force or incapacitation among undergraduate women went up between 2015 and 2019, not down.
Association of American Universities, 2019 Campus Climate Survey. AAU summary
A decade of survey data from nearly 50 colleges found that most alcohol-involved sexual assaults were committed by men who did it more than once, and that fraternity members and athletes were more likely than other students to be among them.
Foubert, Clark-Taylor & Wall (2020), Violence Against Women. Summary of findings
Federal crime data found that about 80% of rapes and sexual assaults of female college students went unreported to law enforcement. Accounts like the ones collected here are a large part of what official numbers miss.
Sinozich & Langton, U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (2014). BJS report (PDF)
Men are harmed in Greek life too. In a random sample of fraternity members at a large Midwestern university, more than a quarter reported sexual assault or attempted assault since starting college.
Luetke et al. (2020). Abstract on PubMed
Research on this topic uses different definitions and survey methods, so exact figures vary between studies. The direction of the findings has been consistent for more than thirty years.
Cases
A small sample of cases that reached the news. For every one of these there are countless accounts that never did. Where cases are unresolved, allegations are described as allegations.
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2010 to 2011
Yale University, Delta Kappa Epsilon
Chapter banned from campus for five yearsPledges were filmed chanting slogans endorsing rape outside Yale's Women's Center. Students later filed a federal Title IX complaint describing a hostile environment at Yale, and the university suspended the chapter.
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2015 to 2016
Stanford University, Kappa Alpha party
Conviction; six-month jail sentenceA woman who had attended a Kappa Alpha party was assaulted outside while unconscious. Her attacker was convicted of three felonies and served three months. Public anger over the sentence led voters to recall the judge in 2018. The survivor, Chanel Miller, later told her story in the memoir Know My Name.
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2021
University of Southern California, Sigma Nu
Chapter suspended; police investigationUSC issued a campus crime alert after reports of a sexual assault at the Sigma Nu house and of drugs slipped into drinks at a party there. The chapter was suspended, the chapter president was suspended by the university, and students protested outside the house. More reports involving other houses followed within days.
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2024 to present
Cornell University, Chi Phi
Civil lawsuit filed September 2026; criminal case reopenedA former student alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted for hours by seven fraternity members after one of them invited others through the chapter's group chat. Cornell barred the chapter, but her lawsuit says only two of the seven were expelled. No criminal charges were filed at first. After the lawsuit drew national attention, the Tompkins County District Attorney announced he was reopening the investigation.
CBS New York and ABC News
Get support
Whether it happened last night or forty years ago, help exists, and much of it is free. You don't need insurance, a police report, or proof to use any of the services below unless noted.
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN)
Text HOPE to 64673, or chat at rainn.org/hotline. English and Spanish, 24/7.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 if you're thinking about hurting yourself or feel you can't go on.
Medical care
Forensic medical exam (rape kit)
Available at many hospital emergency rooms, ideally within 5 days (120 hours). It treats injuries and preserves evidence in case you decide to report later. Under federal law, you can have the exam without reporting to police and without paying out of pocket for the exam itself.
Ask for a SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner). RAINN can tell you which local hospital has one: 800.656.4673.
HIV prevention (PEP)
Post-exposure prophylaxis can prevent HIV if started within 72 hours, and works best the sooner you start. Ask for it at the ER, an urgent care, or a health center.
Emergency contraception
Levonorgestrel pills (Plan B and generics) are sold over the counter without a prescription or ID. They work best within 72 hours. Health centers and Planned Parenthood can advise on other options that work up to 5 days.
STI testing and treatment
Available at campus health centers, community health centers, and Planned Parenthood, often free or on a sliding scale.
If you don't have insurance
The forensic exam
Federal law requires states to make sure survivors aren't billed out of pocket for the forensic exam. If you get a bill for the exam itself, call the hospital billing office and your local rape crisis center; advocates deal with this regularly. Other ER charges may still be billed, and victim compensation (below) can often cover them.
Crime victim compensation
Every state has a fund that can pay medical bills, counseling, and lost wages for victims of violent crime, including sexual assault. Rules differ by state and many require some kind of report to police or a medical provider, so ask an advocate before you apply.
Community health centers
Federally funded clinics charge on a sliding scale based on income, and many see patients who can't pay at all. They provide primary care, STI testing, and often mental health care.
Planned Parenthood
STI testing, emergency contraception, and pregnancy care, with sliding-scale fees at many locations.
Your campus
If you're a current student, campus health and counseling services are usually free or already covered by your fees, whether or not you file a report.
Counseling
Local rape crisis centers
Free, confidential counseling, support groups, and advocates who can go with you to the hospital, police, or campus hearings. There are more than a thousand across the country.
RAINN connects you to your nearest one at 800.656.4673, or search the NSVRC directory.
Open Path Collective
A nonprofit network of therapists offering reduced-rate sessions for people without insurance or with limited income.
RAINN Youth HelpRoom
Moderated, anonymous group chats for survivors ages 14 to 24.
Legal and campus rights
Title IX
Schools that receive federal funding must respond to sexual harassment and assault, including by offering supportive measures like class, housing, or schedule changes, even if you don't file a formal complaint. If your school mishandles your case, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, generally within 180 days.
Know Your IX explains your rights in plain language. File with OCR.
Victim Rights Law Center
Free legal help for sexual assault survivors, including students navigating school proceedings, privacy, housing, and employment.
End Rape On Campus
Survivor-founded organization offering direct support and help filing complaints against schools.
National Crime Victim Law Institute
Can help connect survivors with attorneys who protect their rights in criminal cases.
Specific communities
1in6, for men and boys
Free, confidential chat and anonymous peer support groups for male survivors.
FORGE, for transgender and nonbinary survivors
Resources and referrals to trans-informed providers.
Anti-Violence Project, for LGBTQ+ survivors
24/7 bilingual hotline for LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected survivors of violence.
StrongHearts Native Helpline
Culturally grounded support for Native American and Alaska Native survivors.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
If the person who harmed you was a partner or someone you dated.
800.799.7233 or text START to 88788
If it happened years ago
There is no deadline on getting support. Rape crisis centers and hotlines work with survivors whose assaults happened decades ago, and it's common for memories and feelings to resurface when a case like Cornell's is in the news.
Legal deadlines vary by state and by the type of case. Some states have lengthened or removed time limits for sexual assault claims, and a few have opened temporary windows for older civil claims. A free consultation with a survivor-focused attorney or the Victim Rights Law Center can tell you what's possible where you live.
Privacy and how this works
What we collect
Only what you type into the form. We don't ask for your name, email, or phone number. The form runs on CryptPad, an open-source service that encrypts your answers before they leave your device, so CryptPad itself can't read them. Only Pledge of Silence can.
What we publish
Counts of accounts by campus, state, chapter, and decade. If you give permission, we also publish your account after removing names and anything else that could identify you or another person. Every account is read by a person before anything is published.
What we don't do
We don't publish the names of individuals, share accounts with schools, police, or fraternity organizations, or contact you. Because we don't know who you are, we can't follow up, so if you want help, please use the support page.
If you change your mind
Because accounts are anonymous, we can't look yours up. If you want an account removed, write to us describing the campus, chapter, and year, and we'll remove matching accounts where we can.
An email address can identify you. To stay anonymous, write from a new account that isn't linked to your name or phone number, such as a free Gmail or Proton Mail account set up under a made-up name.
Staying safe
The Leave now button at the top of every page, or pressing Esc twice, takes you straight to a weather page. It doesn't erase your browser history, so if someone else uses your device, a private window is the safest choice.