A 21-year-old man has been charged in the alleged sexual exploitation of a College of Charleston student.
On Aug. 27, officers with the Charleston Police Department responded to the Medical University of South Carolina. According to an incident report, police were told by the 17-year-old victim that she had been sexually assaulted by two unknown males earlier in the day at an off-campus party on Ashley Avenue. Days later, College of Charleston student Timothy Eli Seppi was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor in relation to this incident, according to Charleston Police Department spokesman Charles Francis. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office records show that Seppi was booked on charges of possession of cocaine and marijuana on Aug. 28 and was released the following day on $5,615 bond. Four days after his release, Seppi was arrested for the sexual exploitation charges and released the next day on $30,000 bond.
On Aug. 30, fraternity organization Alpha Epsilon Pi International suspended operation and revoked recognition of its Chi Omicron chapter at the College of Charleston, according to the school’s Interfraternity Council. The council posted this message on their website:
“The College of Charleston is in support of Alpha Epsilon Pi International Fraternity’s action and does not recognize the existence of the Chi Omicron chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi at the College. The College of Charleston Interfraternity Council and Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life will be working with Alpha Epsilon Pi International Fraternity to determine when Alpha Epsilon Pi International Fraternity would be able to recolonize at the College of Charleston. Standard recolonization is a minimum of five years from the revocation of the charter.”
On the same day that Alpha Epsilon Pi International disbanded the Chi Omicron chapter at CofC, school President Glenn McConnell announced a ban on all alcohol-related social activities for fraternities and sororities. In his message to students, McConnell stated that the ban was not a “knee-jerk reaction to an isolated incident, but rather a serious response to a series of dangerous behaviors connected to some members of our fraternities and sororities, ranging from disruptive parties out in the community this month to recent medical transports related to extreme intoxication.”
He went on to write, “As many of you know, I am a product of and advocate for the fraternity and sorority life system. I have consistently told our chapter members that I’ll be their champion, but that I’ll also hold them to a higher standard of civility, integrity, and respect. Unfortunately, what I have learned about some of our Greek members recently greatly disappoints me. As we have seen, the behavior of a few can soil the reputation of all.”
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