About 200 protesters marched down Frat Row on University Avenue SE in a rally calling for accountability for sexual assault and better support for survivors. The march started and ended at Van Cleve Park. The Minnesota Abortion Action Committee and Students for a Democratic Society organized it as part of the Women's March "Nationwide Day of Action."
The spark came from out of state. A 2024 sexual assault case at Cornell University has resurfaced. In that case, 7 members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted an anonymous victim known as "Jane Doe." Two were expelled and the rest got lesser penalties, and critics have said Cornell mishandled the investigation. Organizers framed the local march as a way to hold UMN accountable too, pointing to past failures by administrators and police and to 2 decades of sexual assault cases tied to fraternities here.
"The intention behind it was to call out fraternities as a place that often unfortunately fosters that kind of rape culture," said Kristen Bledsoe, an MNAAC organizer. "When we marched through [Frat Row], they all went inside." Video of the march shows that some fraternity members who went indoors stood at their windows, smirking and holding their phones up to the glass as the crowd passed.
Ann Treacy, a board member of the Women's March MN Action Fund, called the march past the University Avenue houses "heartbreaking." Her ask of the crowd was concrete: "My role would be to offer up an action – given the timing of the midterm elections, the action was to vote." She stressed that legislators help decide what justice looks like for survivors.
Community activist Jana Williams spoke more broadly. "I think what I was trying to convey was that in my lifetime, in my mother's lifetime — generation after generation, nothing has changed," she said. "We need to normalize our anger, our rage, and I think we have to normalize us coming forth."
According to a National Sexual Violence Resource Center figure, at 33 major universities, about 1 in 4 undergraduate women have experienced sexual assault or misconduct. The message was accountability from universities, plus pressure through the ballot box.
If you or someone you know needs support, the national sexual assault hotline is 1-800-656-4673. On campus, the Aurora Center offers free, confidential help to students, staff and faculty at UMN Twin Cities and Augsburg University, whenever and wherever the violence happened and whether or not you pursue formal action. Advocates can meet in person or over Zoom. They can help with legal options, academic or work accommodations, and referrals for medical, financial or housing needs. Under Minnesota law, Aurora staff are confidential resources, with limited exceptions.
