MSU police investigate sexual assault near library
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MSU police are investigating a sexual assault that reportedly occurred at about 2 a.m. today near the Main Library, according to a crime alert issued this evening.
A 19-year-old female student told police she was walking near the library when a stranger asked her if she needed directions. After replying that she did not need directions, the suspect allegedly grabbed and sexually assaulted her, according to police.
The suspect is described as a 6-foot-tall white male, at about 30 years of age with a very thin build, short, reddish hair and slight facial hair, according to police.
Anyone who may have information about the incident should contact MSU police at (517) 355-2222.
The campuswide crime alert was issued at 8:20 p.m. today, more than 18 hours after the incident reportedly occurred.
For more on this story, read the Monday print edition of The State News.
Posted 9:10 p.m.
Commentary
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My heart goes out to the victim
(04/25/09 2:48pm)Report
I am so sorry to see this took place at MSU. My heart goes out to this young lady. Ladies never walk around at night alone, you need to be extra careful about your safety. It is you that can watch out for your safety more than anyone else. Don’t take chances, be smart.
Abigail
(04/25/09 5:20pm)Report
With finals week just around the corner I want to know what there aren’t more police patrolling the areas with the highest amount of people studying such as the library, union, etc. Maybe more patrol cars would deter pervs from doing what they are doing.
Cameras
(04/25/09 5:45pm)Report
This really drives home the point that campus needs a closed circuit television network and monitoring center. Not only would they have video of the attacker, but they could also have prevented the attack. Cameras around campus are not always a bad thing.
alum80
(04/26/09 11:04pm)Report
So ladies, this has been going on since I was there (the 70’s). MSU has been known for sexual assault since then (and probably before). You cannot walk campus alone @ 2AM. Repeat after me……
lol
(04/26/09 11:09pm)Report
i hope its not another one of those “attention seeker” reports.
seriously
(04/27/09 9:47am)Report
It’s not as if this girl was off wandering campus at 2 in the morning. She was studying. With the way parking is on campus and the late night hours required of students to be at the library, union, or other study locations means that walking is often the only option. I personally am appalled to see that, rather than patrol areas where sexual assaults have been known to happen this year, the police seem to be stuck on the corner of Abbott and Albert. What harms students more, drunk people or sexual predators? Based on the actions, or rather in-action, of the police on this issue, it seems that the sexual assaults of female students is secondary to giving out MIPs or other misdemeanors. Way to go, ELPD.
Hope
(04/27/09 1:03pm)Report
Sorry lol, I do think it is the real thing this time.:(
Erin
(04/27/09 4:17pm)Report
I agree with the comment by “seriously”. MSU isn’t the only place sexual assaults happen. I’ve personally never been aware of any reputation that MSU has more sexual assaults than all other locations in the country, nor of any statistics that might actually support that. Sexual assaults happen everywhere. They happen at MSU, they happen in our home towns, they happen outside the library at 2pm, they happen inside people’s homes at noon, they are perpetrated by strangers, acquaintances, friends, significant others and family.
Sexual assaults have been going on far too long, and I’m deeply upset to see that every time we hear about another one instead of outrage at the perpetrators, and outrage that our society continues to allow this to happen, we scold women for studying late, for living their lives and then of course question whether the survivor is just making this up for attention.
Not studying late in the library will not make anyone invulnerable to sexual assaults. I’m a survivor myself, I was assaulted indoors, in a place I thought I was safe, by a person I trusted.
What we need to do to stop sexual assaults is simply not tolerate it. Instead of blaming college women for trying to do well in their classes, we need police forces and an university administration which take serious measures to protect the well-being of students on campus at all hours.
We need to stop blaming the victims for being out late, dressing a certain way, drinking et cetera and start blaming the perpetrators. We need to make sure there are real repercussions for perpetrators of sexual assault, both criminally and socially.
We need to stop accusing survivors of lying about their assaults; all this achieves is discouraging others who are assaulted from telling people about it out of fear that they will be the ones who will suffer socially and criminally as a result.
The majority of sexual assaults are not reported. And it’s no surprise. Not long ago a woman was jailed for reporting her very real sexual assault because police didn’t believe her. It wasn’t until the same man raped several other women that the police realized they were wrong. And you know what the response of many survivors I know was? “Thank god I never reported my rape!”
We live in a society were survivors feel we are better off not reporting, because when we do we are not supported, justice for us is not the priority, instead we lose friends, we lose families, we are blamed, and in some awful cases we are jailed and tried as criminals.
How can we expect to seriously stop sexual assaults in our communities when we continue to blame the victims and call them liars?