Sexual assault reported at Penn State residence hall, university issues ‘timely warning’
A sexual assault at a University Park residence hall was reported early Monday morning to Penn State.
Penn State issued a “timely warning” notification to the university community, which is required by the Clery Act when certain conditions are met. It’s the first such warning issued by the university since November.
A Penn State student said they were sexually assaulted about 1 a.m. Sunday at an unnamed on-campus residence hall on the southern portion of campus, according to the warning. It did not offer a description of the suspect.
According to the warning, it can be “assumed that conditions continue to exist that may pose a threat to members and guests of the university community.”
Undergraduate students do not trust their university to take reports of sexual misconduct seriously — nor provide supportive accommodations, nor handle reports fairly — according to the results of a universitywide survey released in April 2023.
According to University Park’s 2022 Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey, only 42.9% of female undergrads — and 24.6% of gender-diverse undergrads — believed Penn State would take a report of sexual misconduct seriously. That was a significant drop from 2018, when 62.9% of female undergrads answered in the affirmative and from 2015, when 72.8% said the same.
A university spokesperson said at the time that the survey data showed results similar to institutions nationwide, but described the findings as “troubling.”
Resources
There are more than a dozen resources available to Penn State students and others in Centre County, both on-campus and off-campus.
On-campus
- Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity: 814-863-1248
- Commonwealth Campuses Sexual Assault Resources
- Counseling and Psychological Services (confidential): 814-863-0395
- Gender Equity Center (confidential): 814-863-2027
- Penn State Crisis Line: 877-229-6400
- Penn State Crisis Text Line: Text “LIONS” to 741741
- Penn State Hotline (anonymous reporting): 800-560-1637
- Penn State Police: 814-863-1111
- Safe Walk Program: 814-865-9255
- University Health Services (confidential non-emergency care): 814-863-0774
- UHS after-hours advice nurse (24 hours a day): 814-863-4463
- University Ambulance Service (identify yourself as a student): 911
Off-campus
- Centre Safe (24/7, confidential): 814-234-5050
- Mount Nittany Medical Center (confidential emergency care): 814-234-6110
- National Sexual Assault Hotline (confidential 24/7 hotline or live chat): 800-656-4673
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center
- Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape: 888-772-7227 (immediate assistance); 800-692-7445 (general inquiries)
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (available 24/7): 800-656-4673
- State College Police: 814-234-7150 or 911
Centre Daily Times reporter Josh Moyer contributed to this article.