Police Investigating Attempted Sexual Assault at Wesleyan University

A physical and attempted sexual assault of an individual at a fraternity this past weekend has the campus on heightened security as Middletown Police and public safety officers conduct an investigation, according to the university.

The student-run blog Wesleyan reported Monday the Mu Epsilon Chapter of Beta Theta Pi acknowledged an assault by an unknown male took place at its chapter house at 184 High Street and a statement from its executive board expresses "outrage at the allegation of physical assault and attempted sexual assault at our chapter house early Sunday morning. We are cooperating with the University and the Middletown Police Department as they seek to identify the alleged attacker, and will continue to help the authorities in every way if and when he is found and arrested." 

In his latest blog post today, University President Michael Roth addressed Sexual Assault Awareness Month, calling it "one of the greatest threats to freedom and well-being around the world, and college campuses are not immune," and acknowledging "one of our students was attacked," early Sunday. 

Middletown Patch expects a statement shortly from police Lt. Heather Desmond on the status of the investigation.

Wesleyan Dean Mike Whaley notified students by email of a security alert, saying the members of Beta have agreed to suspend all social events during the investigation, according to Lauren Rubenstein, Wesleyan's Department of Media Relations.

"Given that the suspect in the assault has not yet been identified, we will be working with Public Safety and Middletown Police to increase patrols of the campus. While we expect that additional patrols will enhance safety, we all must remember that our collective safety depends on everyone in our community taking personal action to improve safety and security," Whaley wrote. 

Suggestions for students follow, including the advice to walk in groups and in well-lit areas, refuse strangers entry into campus housing, refrain from drugs or alcohol which could impair judgement and others. Student have been encouraged to contact Counseling and Psychological Services, Class Deans, Public Safety and Residential Life with any issues. 

Expressing "zero tolerance" for assaults, the Mu Epsilon Chapter statement concedes, "Unfortunately, sexual assault at Wesleyan remains a problem, and we share the belief that sexual assault, like any kind of assault, is always problematic and utterly unacceptable. That our house became the location of this unfortunate and intolerable crime is a powerful reminder to the entire Wesleyan community that we collectively need to do a better job at raising awareness and prevention of these types of events.  

"Our thoughts, prayers, and solidarity are with the survivor," the statement concludes.  

Whaley says the university will provide an update on the incident later this week.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.