Sexual assault reported on Penn State’s campus, during highest-risk time of the semester

Bret Pallotto
Abby Drey/adrey@centredaily.com

A Penn State student reported being sexually assaulted Wednesday inside a University Park residence hall.

The university’s police department received the report during what sexual violence experts describe as the “red zone,” the time from the start of the fall semester through Thanksgiving break when a majority of college sexual assaults occur nationwide.

All students are at risk of being sexually assaulted, but freshmen women are the most vulnerable as young adults adjust to new freedoms and independence. Most college students who are sexually assaulted are attacked by someone they know.

Jennifer Pencek, the executive director for Centre Safe, a local nonprofit that empowers victims of sexual violence, said supporting people who disclose allegations of sexual violence is one of the most important actions people can take.

That doesn’t mean playing detective or counselor, Pencek said. Instead, two of the best things you can do is listen to what they are sharing and ask what you can do to help them — even if they don’t know the answer yet.

“You might think you know what you would do if you were in that situation, but you truly have no idea unless you have been directly affected,” Pencek said.

She later added: “Give them room to breathe. It can seem so overwhelming. Sexual assault is so traumatic and you don’t want to inadvertently add trauma. Letting someone know that you believe them and that you’re going to listen to them and there’s no judgment or anything — that’s massive.”

The student told police they were assaulted shortly after midnight Wednesday in an on-campus residence hall in the Pollock Housing Complex.

Penn State issued a timely warning notification Wednesday evening, which is required by the Clery Act when certain conditions are met. It was the first such warning shared at University Park since the fall semester began.

Resources:

There are more than a dozen resources available to Penn State students and others in Centre County, both on- and off-campus.

On-campus

Off-campus

Advertisement