Woman assaulted in dorm

Student wakes to intruder; no arrests made

An Oberlin College student was assaulted in her room in Fairchild Hall early Sunday morning. The victim, an 18-year-old first-year from Los Angeles, was air-lifted to Cleveland's Metro Health Hospital with a fractured skull and bruises to her head and arm. She has since been released and is back on campus.

The victim called Oberlin College Security at 4:39 a.m. Sunday morning to report the assault. Both the Office of Safety and Security and Oberlin Police officers immediately responded to the call. She was first taken to Allen Memorial Hospital with a fractured right orbital bone, numerous bruises to her head and forearm and very serious facial injuries, according to Interim Dean of Student Life Deb McNish. She was airlifted to Metro Health Hospital after approximately 30 minutes at Allen Memorial Hospital.

The suspect is described as a medium-toned African-American male of medium build, between 17 and 23 years of age.

He was seen wearing a white or gray T-shirt and denim shorts. The suspect is wanted for attempted aggravated murder, aggravated burglary and attempted rape.

No arrests have been made in the case.

According to police reports, the suspect probably entered Fairchild through an open window. After breaking through a screen with his fist he entered Fairchild Co-op, taking an attachment from an industrial-size mixer before proceeding upstairs at approximately 4:15 a.m. He then proceeded to the second floor, where he began checking for unlocked rooms.

He first entered a room where two students were sleeping and turned on the light. When spoken to by one of the students he turned off the light and left the room.

He then entered the room in which the victim was sleeping alone and began hitting her with the mixer attachment. The student attempted to block the blows with her arm and speak to the suspect. A conversation took place, during which the student apparently persuaded the suspect to leave.

Students saw a man resembling the suspect leaving Fairchild and throw something into bushes nearby before walking across Harkness Bowl. The mixer attachment was recovered from the bushes and fingerprints were found on its surface, according to Director of Security Keith James. No other evidence has been made public.

"All the evidence is presently at the state crime laboratory," said Oberlin Police Chief Bob Jones. "At the present time we have nothing physical or identifiable. The investigation is continuing."

The police interviewed the victim and a number of witnesses, and are attempting to provide a more complete profile of the suspect. The preliminary conclusion is that the assailant was not a student, according to James. Several suspects have been identified, according to College President Nancy Dye.

The Oberlin Police department is running the investigation. Anyone with information should contact them directly. "[Safety and Security] has jurisdiction of the campus," said James. "The Oberlin Police department have jurisdiction of all of Oberlin, which includes the campus."

It is unclear if the assault has any connection to another apparently random assault behind Keep Co-op last spring. No arrests were ever made in that case. "They seem a little too similar and a little too scary," said College senior Jessica Larson.

The Aftermath

The Oberlin administration and entire community have been attempting to deal with the tragedy throughout the week. Security immediately hired a number of trained security guards from the Oberlin area to maintain double shifts, at least some of which may be retained permanently to reinforce current security. It has also increased patrols in the afternoons and evenings, and encourages students to use the campus escort and shuttle programs. "This is serious stuff," said McNish. "We must take precautions. Until we catch this guy it's serious every day."

McNish called the student's parents immediately after the incident, and they were flown in from California later in the day. Other Residential Life staff immediately contacted all student staff, who checked other on-campus students, as well as securing doors and windows. An 8:00 a.m. meeting was held at Fairchild, and a short informational memo was sent to all on-campus students by 9:00 a.m. The majority of residence halls held house meetings within the next 24 hours.

The Fairchild meeting was attended by President Nancy Dye, McNish, James, counseling staff and various staff members, as well as Fairchild residents. McNish described the mood of the meeting: "Quite a few people were traumatized; it was really frightening. Students were definitely afraid."

Dye and McNish spent much of the day at the hospital with the student. Her parents and several friends also arrived later in the day. The student has since recovered quickly, and was released from the hospital on Wednesday. She is currently recovering and staying with her parents at the Oberlin Inn.

"This is one of the strongest women I've ever met," said McNish. "She's trying to move back into her life." The student hopes to finish the semester at Oberlin, according to Dye.

The shocking assault has upset the sense of security and heightened the sense of awareness in this normally peaceful town. No previous incident of this kind has been reported in college residence halls.

Residential Life staff has been securing all buildings each night, and students are being warned not to prop doors open nor leave windows unlocked. Co-op coordinator Tracy Murray has also asked OSCA members to routinely check the security of their buildings.

Many students, particularly students living off-campus, have been concerned with the lack of information shared with the student body. An informational meeting, which drew about 15 students, was held Thursday. At the meeting McNish and James explained the situation. Several students voiced frustration with the lack of information.

McNish said mailings had not been sent out because the division was not sure what particularly to tell students. In response to concerns raised at the meeting, McNish said a mailing will be sent out today. Assistant to the President Diana Roose is also drafting a letter to be sent to parents. McNish said informational meetings will be held every week until they are no longer necessary.

Composite: This is a composite sketch of the man alleged to have attacked a student Sunday.