by Gabriella DePinho, Editor-in-Chief
On Sunday, Feb. 9, in Overlook Manor, an off-campus junior and senior residence hall, a Manhattan College student reports that she awoke to an unidentified male in her apartment. The Department of Public Safety learned that the male allegedly sexually assaulted her.
This information was released to the entire student and employee bodies on Feb. 14 at 7:31 p.m. in an email with the subject line of “Security Advisory/Timely Warning.”
In the email, the unidentified male is described as “possibly white or hispanic, approximately 5’7” to 5’10” tall, full lips, with a dark gray or black hoodie.” The email also confirmed that the incident is being investigated by the New York Police Department’s 50th Precinct Detective Squad.
This email sent to the entire student body came prepared as part of the “Timely Warning requirement of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act of 1990.” This federal law requires that colleges and universities send a general communication to campus communities “of crimes reported to campus or local police departments that may pose a threat to the campus community.”
This email was not the first email an office of the college sent out regarding the incident.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Office of Residence Life sent an email to Overlook residents with the subject line “Tips to keep our community safe!” This initial email makes no mention of the break-in. It does remind residents that “Overlook Manor is our home and we want everyone to to be safe, secure, and able to fulfill their goals as Manhattan College students while living in OV.”
The email reminds students to lock their doors at all times, to always carry their key with them and to email Residence Life if they have lost their key. Students are reminded to reach out to the public safety officer at the entrance of the building if they have been locked out of their apartment. Additionally, if students have any safety concerns, they can reach out to the Department of Public Safety via telephone.
A second email, with the subject line “Overlook Manor Safety Update,” was sent out to Overlook residents on Thursday, Feb. 13, a day prior to the campus-wide email.
In it, the Office of Residence Life confirms that the Department of Public Safety and the NYPD received a report of a “trespass incident.” The email states that Public Safety and the NYPD conducted “an extensive onsite investigation, in which no injuries were reported.”
This email also reveals that this Feb. 9 incident is not the only incident of concern that has recently occurred in Overlook Manor.
“The Office of Public Safety and the NYPD 50th Precinct are also in the process of investigating a report of an incident that occurred in Overlook Manor on Saturday, January 25,” wrote Charles Clency, the director of Residence Life.
The email ends with a list of campus resources for students to reach out to should they need support, including Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, dean of students, Jennifer McArdle, the director of the counseling center, Sheetal Kale, the campus’ chief Title IX coordinator, and Anne Mavor, the director of Health Services.
If anyone has information regarding the Feb. 9 incident, they are encouraged to reach out to Public Safety or the NYPD.
The Quadrangle intends to follow up on this story.