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Stanford University is conducting an investigation after a woman reported being raped in the basement of a campus building on Friday, the school announced Saturday, marking the second report of a rape on the elite Northern California campus in as many months.
The assault reportedly occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the alert issued by the Stanford Department of Public Safety, which notes that “the victim indicated she was working in her office when a man came into her office, grabbed her, dragged her into a basement, and raped her.”
No further information was available about the perpetrator other than that he is described as an “adult male.”
The alert indicates that the woman hadn’t made a report with police but instead with a “mandated reporter,” who then notified campus police.
The university defines mandatory reporters as certain employees or people affiliated with the university, including contractors and volunteers, who are legally obligated to report specific crimes.
In response to an inquiry from NBC News about the victim and perpetrator’s connections to the university, a spokesperson for the university said they have no further information to add following the Saturday update.
On Saturday, the university issued an update to the alert, announcing that the Stanford Department of Public Safety is “actively investigating” and urging members of the university to share any information they have with the campus public safety department “because of the limited information currently available.”
The update added that the little information included in the alert was all that had been reported to the public safety department, adding that “there are a variety of reasons why a victim may not disclose information about a crime,” including trauma that can impact memory.
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Friday’s reported assault follows another rape alleged to have occurred in a campus bathroom in August, according to an alert from that time. That incident “remains under investigation,” the statement said.
The victims in both the Friday and August reported assaults chose not to share information about the crimes with police, the update said.
“We know this report was alarming and unsettling, especially coming after a report of a similar nature in August near Wilbur Hall,” said the statement, which was attributed to the school’s Department of Public Safety Director Laura Wilson and Title IX Coordinator Stephen Chen.
The August reported assault also allegedly occurred during daylight hours, at 5 p.m. in the bathroom of a parking lot near a student dormitory, according to that alert.
That report included more information about the alleged perpetrator, describing him as six feet tall with a thin build, brown eyes, and faded beard.
“The mandatory reporter stated the victim said she has seen the person on campus before,” the alert for the August assault said.
It did not clarify the victim’s or perpetrator’s connections to Stanford.
A spokesperson for the university did not respond to a question about whether they believed there were any connections between the Friday and August reported assaults.
