photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World

A group of protesters gather outside of the University of Kansas' Strong Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 5. The protest marked the fourth time people gathered in response to a reported sexual assault at a the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity on Sept. 11.

For the fourth time in a month, students of the University of Kansas on Tuesday protested in response to an alleged sexual assault at a fraternity house in September.

Roughly 25 people gathered outside Strong Hall on KU’s campus holding signs that said “No means no,” “My clothes are not consent” and “We deserve a safe campus.”

However, the number of protesters paled in comparison to earlier events, including two gatherings outside the fraternity house where the alleged assault occurred, Phi Kappa Psi. Those protests attracted hundreds of people and required a police presence.

Students had also previously gathered in Strong Hall outside of the chancellor’s office demanding that the university take action. Additionally, a petition calling for the fraternity to be banned from KU had received more than 20,000 signatures as of Tuesday.

The repeated protests have caught the attention of the university. Earlier on Tuesday, Chancellor Douglas Girod used his weekly video update to focus on the university’s efforts to address sexual assault, which he said is a nationwide problem that KU is not immune to.

“It sadly continues to be a problem in our society, pervasive on campuses across the nation, as we continue to read about them,” Girod said of sexual assault cases. “It most certainly continues to be a problem here at the University of Kansas. Like many of you, we find it disappointing, sad. Frankly it is frustrating. As a chancellor, a physician and a father, it is very frustrating as well.”

Girod noted how students had gathered in response to the alleged assault at the fraternity and said the university “continues to talk to students” about the issue. He said the students had gathered because they felt they were not being heard and that the issues were not being addressed.

The university previously said it was aware of an alleged sexual assault at a fraternity on Sept. 11 and that the incident was under investigation. The fraternity had also said it was aware of the incident and had reported it to the university.

Whether the incident is under criminal investigation is unclear. The Lawrence Police Department said it was aware of the allegations, but would not confirm or deny whether it was investigating.

photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World

A protester holds a sign that says “We deserve a safe campus” during a protest outside KU’s Strong Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. Students gathered for a fourth protest in response to a reported sexual assault at a KU fraternity.