Student assaulted in Wharton bldg.

A female sophomore was allegedly attacked in the basement of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. A knife-wielding man assaulted a female University student in a bathroom in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall's basement early yesterday morning, police said. The student was not seriously injured in the incident, which occurred just before 3 a.m., though she was treated for multiple cuts and bruises on her hands and face at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The incident was the first time in recent memory that a student has been assaulted inside a secured University building, and comes at a time when the campus crime rate has fallen dramatically. The victim, a sophomore, was in the bathroom in the main Wharton School building, which is open 24 hours a day, when the man approached her, according to Det. Commander Tom King. She quickly hit a panic alarm and ran from her assailant. It is not clear exactly how she was injured. King said last night that Penn detectives are following several "promising leads." Nothing was stolen, and investigators are still trying to determine why the assailant attacked the student. A description of the suspect was not immediately available, and most information about the assault remained unclear as of last night. In addition to the University Police, the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives Bureau is also investigating the incident. SpectaGuard officers patrol Steinberg-Dietrich at all times, and responded to the panic alarm. Steinberg-Dietrich is one of just a few non-residential buildings open 24 hours a day. Students need a PennCard to get past the reception area there at night. Authorities are not yet sure about how the assailant made his way into the building. The most recent assault inside of a University facility occurred last January, when a Health System employee was severely injured after being attacked during a burglary attempt inside the Penn Tower Hotel. The incident prompted officials to ratchet up security at the hotel-and-office complex. The assailant in that case, Larry Ray, was convicted last month of aggravated assault.