Surbhi Bharadwaj

The national Delta Kappa Epsilon organization does not plan to publicly release the findings of its investigation into the sexual climate of DKE’s Yale chapter, although it will share the information with Yale’s administration.

Shortly after the investigation concluded in early February, the national organization gave Yale’s DKE chapter the green light to resume social activities and rush events, following a roughly monthlong suspension of activities in light of sexual misconduct allegations against fraternity members.

Yale’s DKE chapter told the News in a statement in January that “in the interests of transparency, we will certainly be lobbying our national organization to also publish their investigation and give a copy to the Yale Daily News.” But in a Monday email, Executive Director of DKE Doug Lanpher declined to share the report with the News, saying “we do not typically release details of internal investigations.” Lanpher said the organization will share the “full results” of the investigation with Yale, in order to support the University’s recently announced review “into the culture of social groups on campus.” Last week, Yale College Dean Marvin Chun announced that the University’s Deputy Title IX Coordinator Jason Killheffer will conduct a review of “recent concerns brought forward alleging a hostile sexual environment at DKE” and concerns about the culture of other student groups.

The Yale College Dean’s Office, however, is yet to receive a copy of the report. Associate Vice President of Student Life Burgwell Howard on Monday said the YCDO has not received the report, but expects to get it soon. Killheffer said he plans to begin his review of DKE and other social groups on campus this week, adding that he looks forward to “receiving relevant input from anyone that wishes to contribute.”

“When the Yale chapter receives the report from DKE nationals, they will voluntarily share it with me as part of their full cooperation with the review process that I announced last week,” Dean of Yale College Marvin Chun said.

Lanpher did not respond to questions asking when DKE’s national organization will send the report to Yale. According to two sources familiar with the situation, Lanpher and an attorney came to New Haven to administer the review, but no one in the Yale chapter has seen the national organization’s findings.

The announcement of Yale’s decision to review recent accusations against DKE came two days after the News published an investigation detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against DKE by eight women. In addition, 30 Community and Consent Educators, FroCos and sorority members told the News that the problem of sexual misconduct at DKE goes beyond a few “bad apples” and reflects a wider institutional problem.

Yale’s DKE chapter announced that it had requested its national organization to investigate the sexual climate of the chapter in early January, days after members of the chapter learned that Business Insider would soon release a story describing two alleged incidents of sexual assault in the fraternity. One of the incidents, which allegedly took place at a party in December 2016, had prompted Yale to suspend former DKE President Luke Persichetti from March 2017 to the end of this semester for “penetration without consent.” Since then, DKE has announced a series of reforms designed to improve the sexual climate and social atmosphere at the fraternity, including the introduction of sober monitors and coed bouncers at parties.

The woman whose accusation led to Persichetti’s suspension criticized the national organization for refusing to release the report. “Either they lied about conducting a thorough investigation or the report’s findings were too reprehensible to publicize,” she said.

DKE President Nick Hardy ’18 did not respond to a request for comment.

DKE’s Yale chapter was founded in 1844.

Britton O’Daly | britton.odaly@yale.edu

BRITTON O'DALY