A string of sexual assaults has rattled the University of Virginia campus in the last month, even as campus authorities employ dozens of new measures aimed at curbing violence against women following the beating death of 22-year-old U.Va. lacrosse player Yeardley Love in May.
Five University of Virginia women have reported sexual assaults since Sept. 17, according to university and police records.
Assaults are not uncommon in the area, but the influx of reports has police concerned, said spokesman Gary Pleasants.
“Campus is a feeding ground for criminals,” Pleasants said. “They know there are a lot of easy targets. … But with the number that have happened here recently, we’re thinking, ‘What’s going on?'”
Charlottesville police are now employing eight to 15 additional officers during peak hours for criminal activity, generally between 9 p.m. until after the bars close. Many of the officers are dressing in plainclothes to target unidentified suspects in ongoing investigations, Pleasants said.
The University of Virginia sent out a warning message to students on Sept. 28 after three attacks were reported to university officials between Sept. 17 and 19.
One student said she was knocked down and sexually assaulted by a male. Another student — through a third party — said she was pushed into a pantry at a fraternity party and assaulted before her screams alerted two other students to intervene.
A third student said he was beaten by another male in what the university alleged was an attack against the victim’s sexual orientation. All three incidents occurred after midnight.
Pleasants said he was surprised to read the warning message, because the university had not consulted Charlottesville police regarding the incidents.
University Dean of Students Allen Groves said he waited to report the incidents until he had more information.
On Sept. 29 — one day after Groves’ warning — two female students were reportedly assaulted around 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., according to U.Va. police. Two days later, another student reported to U.Va. police that she was “accosted” and as the assailant led her to an automated teller machine, a group of people approached and she escaped.
In the most recent reported assault, the victim was walking outside the university gym around 7 p.m. on Tuesday when someone lifted her skirt and fondled her. She screamed and the fondler ran, police said.
October is the university women center’s Domestic Violence Awareness month, dedicated to helping females identify dangerous situations and protect themselves from known assailants.
