Woman reports being raped in dorm room on Stanford University campus
A rape was reported at Stanford University hours before California's governor signed legislation in direct response to the school's high-profile sexual assault case.
A female student told a "security authority" at Stanford that a male student she didn't know had raped her in his dorm on Friday, according to ABC 7 News. That authority informed the Stanford University Department of Public Safety, which is now investigating the alleged assault. The victim has yet to make a statement to police.
"She is processing a very traumatic experience, understandably, and I'm sure she is processing whether to come forward to us and give us a statement so we can continue with the investigation," DPS spokesman Bill Larson said, according to the Associated Press.
The alleged assault comes at a time when the university is already under scrutiny, thanks to the Brock Turner case. Turner made headlines globally over the summer when he, convicted on three sexual assault charges, received a light, six-month sentence for attacking an unconscious woman behind a dumpster in January 2015. In response to Friday's sexual assault report, the university sent an alert to the student body.
"Stanford University does not tolerate sexual assault, sexual misconduct or sexual harassment," the notification read. "The university encourages anyone who has been sexually assaulted or subjected to other forms of sexual misconduct or harassment to report the incident to university officials."
After Turner received his sentence, Stanford updated its alcohol policy, banning hard alcohol at undergrad parties. The school said the policy was not related to to the Turner case, although the former student blamed his behavior on alcohol.
The state of California, meanwhile, passed legislation in response to the case. Signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday, one bill set a minimum prison term of three years for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious person, and another provided for victims to use the word "rape" in court, the Associated Press reported, "even if the attack doesn't meet the technical definition under California law." According to the Los Angeles Times, the rape report on Friday came just hours before Brown signed the legislation.
On Wednesday, Brown signed into law a bill that eliminated California's statute of limitations on rape cases.
