Student 'indecently assaulted' in dorm

A Penn graduate student was assaulted in her Hamilton College House room yesterday morning, according to University Police. She did not sustain any serious physical injury.

The alleged perpetrator, an employee of one of the cleaning services Penn hired to do work in the building, is currently in police custody and is in the process of being arraigned. His identity has not yet been released, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

Rush explained that the suspect is alleged to have "basically indecently assaulted" the woman, who is also a College House system employee, but did not say whether or not her room was secured at the time of entry. The suspect did have permission to be in the building, although as a subcontractor, was not directly employed by the University.

The victim, whose name has not been released, made a phone call to Penn Police a little after 10 a.m., using the 511 emergency number, to report the attack immediately after it occurred, Rush said.

Police were then dispatched to the scene and apprehended the suspect.

"The alleged assailant never left the building," Rush said, noting that the victim was extremely quick in her response to the situation.

"The complainant in this case -- the woman who had the incident -- fortunately, is fine," Rush said. However, she added that the woman remained shaken up.

Hamilton College House Dean Tabitha Dell'Angelo, in an e-mail statement, would not comment on the specifics of the incident, but praised University Police for their efforts following it.

"The Penn Police reacted quickly and handled the situation beautifully," Dell'Angelo wrote. "I am more confident than ever in their ability to serve the students here on campus."

For students busy settling in to Hamilton, the assault came as a bit of a shock.

"Being on campus, I don't feel unsafe, but things like this make me think twice," Nursing sophomore Shally Iyer said.

Nina Vyas, a sophomore in the College, said she felt that events like this one make people reconsider their own behavior.

"I guess just be careful during move-in," Vyas said, referring in particular to the various cleaning and service workers who frequent University buildings at the beginning of the year.

"I would hope the University has some sort of background check," Iyer said. "The University has a liability to keep us safe, too."

This incident is not the first of its sort to strike campus in recent years.

Last September, Jacob Leslie Dallas, a 30-year-old male, allegedly attempted to sexually assault a female University student in her unlocked Quadrangle dormitory room. After gaining unauthorized entry to the Quad, he pulled down his pants and attempted to get into the student's bed, according to a source close to the victim. When she awoke and screamed, he fled, the source said. He was eventually apprehended by police after a chase to 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue.

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