An Ithaca College student reported that she was raped last Sunday around 1:30 a.m. in her Emerson Hall dormitory room. According to The Ithacan, the female student returned to her room to find an unknown assailant waiting for her. There was no sign of forced entry into the room. The student reported the rape almost 12 hours later.
The male was identified to be Hispanic, about 170 pounds, 5’10’’ inches, with a thin build and no facial hair. He was also seen wearing loose jeans, a black hooded sweatshirt and red fitted hat, according to News 10 Now.
The Ithaca Journal reported last Tuesday that no suspects had been identified yet. Bill Ferguson, associate director of Public Safety at Ithaca College, told The Ithacan the school was leaning towards the possibility that the suspect was a student. I.C. Public Safety is handling the case and has been conducting interviews with students who were near the area at the time of the alleged incident.
Meanwhile, many students at Ithaca College have been approaching their daily routines with a sense of heightened security.
“Everyone’s thinking about it and talking about it,” said Rachel Korneich, a sophomore at I.C. “Some people are scared, some are not, but everyone is making sure they lock their doors.”
Kornreich has also noticed more police cars circling campus than normal.
At Cornell, no changes have been made to the campus safety plan, which, among other things, depends on blue lights to keep students safe.
“We have full patrol on campus as usual,” said Simeon Moss ’73, director of Cornell Press Relations. “Cornell University is working closely with the Ithaca College investigators to provide assistance and follow up on any leads they have.”
Anyone who has potential tips is encouraged to call The I.C. Office of Public Safety at 607-273-3333 or its anonymous tip line at 607-274-1080.