SHARE A search warrant was executed in September at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, 3321 N. Oakland Ave., after female students reported becoming ill, possibly from drinks served at a party. The university has since revoked the fraternity’s charter. Jesse Garza

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University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has revoked the charter of a fraternity after a party at its house Sept. 12 left several underage guests severely intoxicated and some with memory lapses they believed were caused by date rape drugs slipped into drinks.

The university initially suspended the charter of Tau Kappa Epsilon during its investigation of the party. The fraternity may petition for reinstatement after two years; that would require approval of both the student association and the dean of students.

The university launched an investigation after campus police took four incapacitated party-goers to a hospital emergency room.

Three women and one man who attended the party and were under the legal drinking age were taken to a hospital for protective custody, Assistant Dean of Students Heather Harbach noted in a letter to the fraternity outlining her findings of multiple violations of university policies and regulations.

In the letter, Harbach chastised fraternity members for disregarding all of the fraternity's own risk management policies and procedures, knowingly serving alcohol to minors, insufficiently controlling alcohol service and consumption, disregarding the safety of members and guests, and disregarding police authority and laws.

While Harbach's letter alluded to allegations of drugs being slipped into party drinks, no fraternity member has been charged with that offense. The then-president of the fraternity was charged with keeping a drug house. He has pleaded not guilty.

The university concluded that early reports suggesting that guests' hands marked with a red "x" were given "special drinks" appear to be false.

Harbach interviewed UWM police officers who investigated the party, students who attended the party as guests, and members of the fraternity, both individually and in a group session.

"During our group meeting, no one expressed regret, concern, or remorse that four fellow students became so intoxicated at your party that they required emergency medical attention or that all four suspect that their drinks had been drugged," Harbach wrote in her letter to the fraternity.

All four students who required emergency medical attention reported similar experiences, including multiple instances of vomiting, lack of memory of the events of the night, dangerously high blood alcohol levels and heightened intoxication well beyond their past experiences when consuming similar amounts of alcohol, Harbach wrote in the letter.

One guest reported falling multiple times at the TKE house and striking his/her head, which TKE members confirmed. "However, no member reported walking him/her home or contacting an ambulance; he/she was 'kicked out' because he/she was too intoxicated,'" Harbach wrote.

Police who went to the fraternity house at 3321 N. Oakland Ave. after the four students were transported to the hospital reported multiple "fresh piles of vomit" around the property and about 80 to 100 people inside the house. Most were in the basement, which guests reported was crowded and hot.

A TKE member assigned to patrol outside the house was uncooperative when police initially asked to enter the house due to concern for the well-being of partygoers, according to Harbach's letter. The TKE member reportedly called a police officer from another town for advice, delaying police entry to the house by about 30 minutes.

The fraternity house is a private residence, which means the university has no authority over what happens there. UWM, however, does control the fraternity's affiliation with the university and its members' affiliation with the university.