Alleged Sexual Assault of Female Student at Lesley College Makes the Campus More Alert

An unknown male sexually assaulted a female student in a Lesley College undergraduate dormitory on Tuesday morning at 2:00 a.m., according to a Cambridge Police Department Community Alert.

According to the alert, the female student said she met the unknown male in the fourth floor lounge of the dormitory, and after a short conversation, he sexually assaulted her.

Cambridge Police Department spokesman Frank T. Pasquarello declined to comment for this story.

The alleged assault took place in a dormitory above the main student center and cafeteria.

Students said that after the alleged assault, a noticeable change had taken place on the campus, which is just half a mile away from Harvard Yard.

“It’s kind of safer, because everyone’s on alert,” said freshman Kimberly L. Tringali. “In my hall, people used to open the door for random guests. And I never see security around.”

Susan B. Marine, director of the Office of Sexual Assault, said that it is rare for a student to be sexually assaulted by a stranger, like in this case.

“85-90 percent of the time, the victim knows the perpetrator, at least as a friend or as an acquaintance,” Marine said.

A 25 year-old Lesley graduate student, Molly A. Rigsby, said that she usually has class until late in the evening, and her professors made all the students walk in pairs back to their residences.

“People were shaken up,” Rigsby said, pointing out that there are no security locks on any of the campus’ main buildings.

Still, freshman Jennifer K. Conolli said that she has “always felt safe” on campus.

The community alert describes the suspect as “a light skinned Hispanic male, 20 years old, 5’7”, 170 lbs, with dark hair and a ‘fade’ haircut, pencil thin beard moustache, beard and goatee, wearing a blue shirt and jeans.” The suspect had been seen in the lounge previously that evening, and two days before, according to the community alert.