A female Oberlin student was allegedly sexually assaulted in her Dascomb dorm room on Wednesday, Feb. 2. While the exact details are uncertain due to policies regarding privacy and confidentiality by which Safety and Security must abide, a first-year resident of Dascomb stated that the victim was drunk when she was attacked. She passed out, and then awoke the next morning believing she had been raped. The incident was reported to Campus Security, and several days later, the Oberlin Police Department took control of the investigation.

The College community has taken every precaution to ensure that the matter is handled appropriately and that all measures are taken to identify the culprit. There are speculations that he lives in town and is not an Oberlin student; however, while no charges have been made, one student has been brought in for questioning.

When asked whether they had noticed a suspicious person in the vicinity of Dascomb during the night of the assault, several students responded that they did not remember seeing anyone who was not a student. One resident, however, did report: “I remember seeing one guy that didn’t go here, but nothing that was necessarily out of the ordinary.”

Within four days of the assault, signs providing a brief overview of the incident could be seen posted around campus, providing this simple yet vague description of the suspect: “light-skinned, flat nose, slim body, 19-20 years of age, and approximately 5’9” to 6’0.”

“While the signs certainly served an important role in alerting the community of the matter, their presence was enough to unnerve many female students, particularly those living in Dascomb.

“I didn’t think I would hear of anything like that happening at Oberlin in general, much less my own dorm,” one first-year student said. “I don’t walk back from the Con alone at night anymore. Now, I’m definitely more cautious.” 

The College has not publicly acknowledged that this incident has produced a greater threat to the community, but has posted signs advising students to excercise caution at all times.