DU issues safety alert after student reports being raped in her dorm room

DENVER – The University of Denver has issued a safety alert after a student reported she was raped in her dorm room.

According to DU, the student said the incident occurred on May 31 while he was sleeping in his room at Hilltop Hall dormitory. According to the security alert, the student reported the incident to the university’s Campus Safety Department at around 8:42 p.m. on Tuesday.

University officials said there were no signs of forced entry into the room and no information about a suspect was available.

In its warning, DU stated that victims are never the victims’ fault. The university issued the following safety tips:

• Always lock the outside doors of your dormitories and do not allow anyone you do not know to enter a dorm or apartment building behind you. Keep the door to your room or apartment locked.
• Perpetrators choose their victims based on their vulnerability, not their appearance or behavior. Sexual violence is a crime of hostility and violence toward the victim. Often, perpetrators blame the victim. This allows them to maintain the false belief that they will be safe from sexual assault “if only” they don’t do what the victim did. However, sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. Only the perpetrator chooses to commit the sexual violence.
• Actively support a safe and respectful community. If you see others acting disrespectfully or inappropriately, speak up and intervene or reach out to someone else who can help.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Campus Security at 303-871-2334 or Denver Police at 720-913-2000.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can get help through the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA).