Safety and Security and Hanover Police are working to identify an unknown male suspect who entered a residential hall and sexually assaulted a female student on Sunday evening, Director of Safety and Security and College Proctor Harry Kinne told The Dartmouth.
The suspect reportedly entered the victim's room at approximately 10:15 p.m., Kinne wrote in a campus-wide e-mail on Monday. Kinne sent the e-mail to students because the assailant could pose a danger to other members of the community, according to the e-mail.
The suspect pushed the woman down and removed her pants, but fled after the victim kicked and yelled, Kinne wrote in the e-mail.
Safety and Security assesses every reported incident of sexual assault to determine whether to distribute a campus-wide alert, Kinne said in an interview with The Dartmouth. Crime Alert notices are only sent if the suspect poses a risk to the safety of the College and constitutes an ongoing threat, he said.
"We want people to know when something like this happens so that they're aware and can take precautions," Kinne said. "Any time there's an incident like this any place on the campus we have the same level of concern. We certainly are aware that we have a lot of buildings people are in at night. But our residence halls, they are a place where we want students to feel secure, so it is very much a concern."
He declined to reveal the exact location of the assault in order to protect the victim's confidentiality.
In most of the cases of sexual assault that Kinne has encountered, the assailant and the victim knew each other beforehand, he said. This particular case is "a little different" than most reports of sexual assault at Dartmouth because the suspect and victim were likely strangers, Kinne said.
Safety and Security has not yet determined whether the suspect is a student at the College, according to Kinne.
Safety and Security and Hanover Police officers are focusing on finding the suspect and preventing similar incidents in the future, according to Kinne.
The perpetrator is described as a college-age male who is approximately six feet tall and has an average build, according to the e-mail.
"If someone has information about the incident, we would be very interested in hearing it," he said.
The incident occurred two days after the College implemented an evening shuttle to help reduce sexual abuse on campus. The service is part of a series of health and safety initiatives that acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears announced on Jan. 4, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"We would want people to watch out for each other," Kinne said. "We would want people to use all the security devices they have in their residence halls and that type of thing, to avail themselves of safe rides and to be aware of their surroundings."
Kinne added that the Upper Valley periodically experiences the same safety issues as cities.
"One of the things we always want people to be aware of is that Dartmouth is a wonderful place, and the Upper Valley is a wonderful place," he said. "But we are not immune from crime, and to the troubles of communities and societies."
Clare Coffey contributed to the reporting of this article.
