(CNN) — A fraternity at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is being investigated on suspicion that members put “date rape” drugs into drinks served at a party, according to search warrants issued by campus police.
Police started investigating after three women and a man were hospitalized after consuming drinks at the September 12 party at the Tau Kappa Epsilon house, the search warrant said. The warrants sought, among other things, drugs that cause loss of memory or “other intoxicating effects.”
One student who went to the hospital told police that “she had a weird feeling and sensation prior to blacking out which she had never felt before. [The student] stated she feels victimized by TKE and that she is sure some sort of drug or other intoxicant was given to her against her will and unbeknownst to her,” according to the warrant.
The student said the fraternity had a reputation for putting “roofies” into women’s drinks but “she thought it was all in the past,” the warrant stated. Roofies, a street name for Rohypnol, is a tasteless and odorless drug.
Alex Baker of the Tau Kappa Epsilon International Fraternity said: “… These alleged actions do not align with our values of love, charity and esteem.
“We have temporarily suspended the Zeta-Zeta chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. We are currently working with university officials and local authorities to ascertain all of the information of the incident.”
In the search warrants, another woman student said a male poured her a drink and then moved “the cup under the bar out of sight; after a few moments the male pulled the cup back on top of the bar and gave her the mixed drink.”
She said she blacked out 30 to 45 minutes after consuming the drink, the warrant said.
The third female student who went to the hospital said the fraternity sold “all access” cards that provided women with unlimited drinks. The female student said, “The cards were only for sale to females ‘and you have to be hot’ to get one,” according to the warrant.
When asked whether the party was a “ladies night party,” the student said, “No. This is how it usually is, girls always get wasted there,” the warrant stated.
When police officers went into the fraternity house about 1:30 a.m. on Sepember 13, they found 42 people in the basement under the legal drinking age of 21, all with a red or black “X” marked on their hands, the warrant said.
The warrants said fraternity members marked guests’ hands with the X’s but don’t explain what the marks meant.
The university suspended the fraternity while the investigation is under way, said Tom Luljak, vice chancellor of university relations and communications.
“We are deeply concerned about these allegations because the safety of our students is our number one priority,” he said. “Our police are aggressively pursuing this investigation to determine exactly what happened and who may have been involved.”
The university noted that no sexual assaults were reported in connection with the party.