Student Reports Sexual Assault on Campus

University police Chief Derek Poarch said the 18-year-old student was returning from Franklin Street at about 2:30 a.m. when she was forced to the ground near Alumni Hall.

Poarch said the student reported waking up about an hour later covered with scratches and bruises and that she had been "clearly sexually assaulted."

In North Carolina, sexual assault is defined as being forced to engage in an unwanted sexual act, Poarch said.

He said University police detectives are actively investigating the case, although the investigation might be complicated by the report being filed such a long time after the incident.

On Wednesday, a misdemeanor assault occurred in Morehead Parking Lot involving a 21-year-old student working as a temporary Department of Public Safety employee. Police said a Hispanic man who was about 5 feet 5 inches with a slight build, poor teeth and a slight mustache approached the student and spoke to her briefly in Spanish before touching her inappropriately.

"There is nothing to indicate to us that these two incidents are related -- how they occurred are totally different," Poarch said.

He said progress is being made in the investigation into Wednesday's assault.

"Several leads have come in that we are actively pursuing."

Poarch said both incidents underscore the importance of taking proper safety precautions, especially when walking on campus at night. He said that in the case of the Feb. 27 assault, the student was walking back from Franklin Street alone while her friends used the Point-2-Point shuttle.

"It's kind of reiterating to people what we say -- use the P2P, don't walk alone at night, use the buddy system," Poarch said. "We find when these things are in place, the likelihood of something happening is greatly minimized."

He said police are focusing security efforts on North Campus, including stepping up the number of patrolling officers. "With students out going to Franklin Street and going back and forth from the dorms and the library, there are a lot of people, and that's the reason we want to do everything we can," Poarch said.

Kindl Shinn, co-chairwoman of Advocates for Sexual Assault Prevention, said sexual assaults might be common on campus and that these two events are rare only because they were publicly reported. "What's unique about these two assaults is not that they happened, it's that they were publicized," she said, citing statistics that fewer than 25 percent of sexual assaults are reported.

"It's important to know that things like this do happen on campus because it really forces you to be aware."

Poarch said he hopes students will continue to follow the advice issued by University police. "Carolina is by and large a safe place -- however, you certainly have to follow the same type of personal safety awareness you do in any environment," he said. "I know it's easier said than done, but it's very important people follow those safety procedures."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.