Hanover Police said an unidentified intruder allegedly sexually assaulted a female student early Saturday morning in her room in Morton Hall in the East Wheelock Cluster.
The Department of Safety and Security also received complaints of unwanted entry from five other students in Morton and Andres Halls on Saturday morning, College Proctor Robert McEwen said.
An electronic mail message sent to cluster residents by Residential Life Area Director Scott Brown said the alleged assault incident involved "an intruder entering a resident's room while she slept, crouching by her bed and touching her body in a sexual manner."
The student awoke at about 5:00 a.m. to find an unidentified male crouching over her, feeling her stomach and lower body, a Hanover Police press release said.
"The victim rolled over and pushed the suspect away, after which he quickly left the room," the release said.
The alleged sexual assault incident was reported to both Hanover Police and to the College.
None of the other five incidents reported to Safety and Security involved physical contact, McEwen said.
"Four complaints were from women and two were from men," McEwen said.
One witness described the assailant as "appearing to be intoxicated and wearing a light-colored sweater, dark pants, dark shoes, and a light-colored ball cap worn with the bill to the front," according to a Hanover Police press release.
Another witness described the man as wearing a tan jacket with a draw-string at the waist, dark pants, and a white ball cap with the bill backwards.
The witnesses' reports agreed the intruder was of college age.
McEwen said investigators do not know if all the same person were responsible for all six incidents. He said the perpetrator could have been a student or a guest of a student.
Senior Associate Dean of the College Daniel Nelson, who was the dean-on-call at the time of the incidents, said he hoped the perpetrator would be caught, "but we don't have very detailed descriptions, unfortunately."
The witnesses' descriptions might differ because the victims were too groggy to get a good view of the intruder, Nelson said.
Brown, McEwen and Nelson all urged students to lock their doors at night.
"Obviously, it is very unsettling to think that someone is going into student rooms who doesn't belong there, but fortunately people can take the easy precaution of locking their doors," Nelson said.
Brown urged residents to "carry your keys with you at all times and keep your room door locked."
"When people leave their doors unlocked it leaves them open to trouble," Brown said.
"The question must be raised about some type of security for locking of doors or some campaign to get students to lock their room doors," McEwen said.
Brown said Safety and Security's efforts were "very diligent" and said he has kept students informed by sending electronic mail messages and by putting up posters.
Both Safety and Security and the Hanover Police arrived within three minutes of the first complaint, McEwen said.
Two female students in the River Cluster made similar complaints in the Fall term.
McEwen said he "would not venture a guess" about a connection to the River Cluster incident.
Students said they were concerned about the increasing number of incidents of intruders in residence hall rooms.
April McGibbon '98, who lives in Morton, said Saturday's incident makes her a "little bit" nervous.
Anyone with information about any of the incidents should notify the Department of Safety and Security or the Hanover Police.
