The Department of Safety and Security announced yesterday, five days after the complaint was made, that a second woman woke up to an alleged male trespasser in her room.
The second female victim awoke in her room in French Hall at about 5:45 a.m. on Nov. 2, "to find an unidentified male on top of her in her bed," according to the latest Safety and Security report.
"The woman got the assailant off the bed, at which point she noticed that his pants were down. The male left the room. Evidence in the room included a condom wrapper, a light fixture that had been tampered with and missing property," the report stated.
Administrators and investigators held a meeting last night in the lounge of French Hall to update students on the incidents and to answer their questions. Approximately 35 students, most of them from the River Cluster of dormitories, attended.
Many of the students in attendance were angered that information about the second trespassing incident was released so late.
One River resident at the meeting said, "I'm appalled ... that [the complaint] wasn't discovered until five days later."
The second victim blitzed her report of the incident to a Safety and Security officer on Nov. 2, according to a Safety and Security report. But College Proctor Bob McEwen said her message was not discovered until the officer checked his BlitzMail early Monday morning, about five days after the original report was sent.
According to McEwen, the victim of the first incident filed a complaint with Safety and Security later that evening, at approximately 9:20 p.m. Wednesday. The first complaint was given immediate attention, McEwen said.
McEwen said that as soon as the second blitz was discovered, Hanover Police was notified and an investigation was launched. The investigation is being run chiefly by Safety and Security Sergeant Harley Bettis and Hanover Police Detective-Sergeant Frank Moran. Dean of the College Lee Pelton classified the investigation as "ongoing" and said that "facts are coming in as we speak."
According to Moran, investigators are treating the second incident as a possible sexual assault. He said that the first incident was being treated as "possibly related, or possibly just a mistake."
Moran said the light bulb, some bedding and some clothing were taken as evidence from the scene of the second incident.
Moran said at the meeting that the two incidents have not been linked together. The first victim described a male of medium height with dark hair and a heavy build while the second victim described her trespasser as 5' 10" with blond hair and a medium build.
But Moran said the possibility that the two incidents could be linked has not been entirely ruled out. "I can't say that it's the same person, but I can't be sure that it isn't," Moran said.
"There are certainly things that make you think the incidents are similar, but there are also distinct differences," Moran said. He noted that among the differences between the incidents were the lack of physical contact in the first incident, as well as the three hours between incidents.
The four-day delay between when the report was sent and when it was discovered raised debate at the meeting concerning the proper protocol for victims of sexual assault cases.
At the meeting last night Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco exonerated the actions of the victim and her undergraduate advisor, who directed the victim to blitz her complaint to the individual Safety and Security officer.
Turco said "the UGA handled [the incident] exactly in the way we expect UGAs to handle it."
Also present at the meeting were Pelton, McEwen, Moran, Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaconne, River cluster Area Director Sharon La Voy, Acting Coordinator of the Sexual Assault Program Liza Vitto, Assistant Dean of Residential Life Allison Keefe and Dean Teoby Gomez, who was on call over the weekend.
Pelton said, "We are obviously a computing culture, but when something like this happens, it's very important that the victim call Safety and Security, meet with an officer or dean, or have an officer or dean come to his or her room."
Pelton also suggested the establishment of a "911" BlitzMail account, which he said the College would look into.
The incidents themselves also fueled a discussion over how cautious Dartmouth students need to be.
"We live in a place which we think is safe because it's a pristine, rural community," Pelton said. "But we need to be reminded that criminal activity can occur here. I'd urge all of you to lock your bedroom doors at night," he said.
In the wake of the two incidents, another resident of French Hall said she was involved in what could be a third trespassing incident. The resident said she awoke at approximately 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning to find her door open and her light on.
But she couldn't confirm whether an intruder had been in her room. "I never heard anything; I never saw anyone," she said.
One student at last night's meeting questioned how hard the administration was working to spread word of the incidents around campus. "I think it's crucial that everyone on campus knows what happened to these women," she said. "The administration must say that this will not be tolerated, and that they will not sweep this under the rug."
Pelton responded, "It is inconceivable that the College would sweep this under the rug. This is a serious matter, and this is a criminal act," he said. "I can assure you that this is something that the College will not ignore," Pelton added.
