U of M student reports rape by 2 strangers in her dorm room
Updated 4 p.m. | Posted 12:49 p.m.
A University of Minnesota student has reported she was raped in her East Bank dorm by two strangers early Sunday morning.
The assault occurred in Sanford Hall, a University Avenue residence hall, between 12:45 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
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University spokesperson Tim Busse said the 18-year-old freshman was on her way to the bathroom when two men approached her.
"They came up the stairs, said hello to her, and initiated the conversation," Busse said.
He had no details on their conversation but said they offered to walk her back to her room. Once there, one of them threatened her with a knife and then both sexually assaulted her.
On Monday afternoon, the woman reported the assault to campus police, who are now investigating.
Police say the woman does not know her attackers, and that it's unknown whether the men are students. They say detailed descriptions of them are not available.
Investigators are looking for witnesses, but Busse said there's no indication anyone else was in the hallway.
Busse said the U keeps "people in authority positions in each residence hall and on each floor," including resident assistants, but said he didn't think the U required such a person to be on the floor at all times.
Resident assistants "have got class, they do things on their own, so they're not 24/7 in their room patrolling," he said.
Busse said, "I don't think it was a breakdown in protocol ... as to who should have been there."
The building has security cameras in the front lobby, where a student staffs an information and security desk, Busse said. Investigators are reviewing video footage.
To enter the building, a person must swipe a security card at the front entrance. To gain access to the living areas, Busse said, he or she must swipe the card at stairwells and elevators.
"There's security in place," Busse said, "but it's not failsafe, unfortunately. Students sometimes let people in, or people tailgate in behind others, or something like that. It's not clear who they were or how they got in."
The alert is the first this calendar year for an on-campus rape. The U has sent out four crime alerts for off-campus sexual assaults.
Anyone with knowledge of the assault is urged to call the University of Minnesota Police Department at (612) 624-2677 and reference case number UM-15-159677.