New information about the sexual assault that occurred on the 3800 block of Calvert Street this Sunday makes the crime appear more serious than it was described by the Metropolitan Police Department e-mail which first reported it.

Jason Cherkis of the Washington City Paper reports that the police report about the crime says that the suspect “thrust[ed] several times” against the woman before she screamed and he ran out of her house.

The e-mail, sent by Lieutenant Kim Gregory, said that an unknown suspect entered the victim’s house, the victim woke up to find him “cuddling her” in her bed, and then the victim screamed and the suspect ran out the back door of her house.

Cherkis pointed out that the extent of the suspect’s crime calls the perp’s nickname into question once again. The “Cuddler,” which MPD officers have said may be several suspects, digitally penetrated one of his victims and put his penis on the thigh of another victim.

Of course, whether inappropriate or not, nearly every news outlet that has reported on this incident has used the “Cuddler” moniker. But how do we make the switch to the “Georgetown Sexual Assailant”?

A “burglary with sexual overtones” took place early this morning on the 3800 block of Calvert Street, NW. The incident is similar to the many sexual crimes perpetrated by the suspect known as the “Georgetown Cuddler.”

According to an e-mail that Lieutenant Kim Gregory of the Second District Metropolitan Police Department sent this morning, an unknown suspect entered the victim’s house between 4:30 a.m. 6:00 a.m., and the victim woke up to find him “cuddling her” in her bed.

The victim screamed and the suspect ran out the back door of her house. She was not harmed and nothing was taken from her house.

The victim described the suspect as male with short hair, and MPD is investigating the crime.

With so many sexual assaults occurring in the Georgetown neighborhood in the last year and a half—including two in one week at the beginning of the school year—the University is not the only one finally acknowledging the serious issue of sexual assault on campus.

Since most of these attacks seem to follow the modus operandi of the infamous “Georgetown Cuddler,” local and national news networks and bloggers have flocked to the issue, either to report on the attacks or challenge the affectionate title of “Cuddler.”

In case the Voice’s reporting hasn’t been enough for you, Vox has compiled a roundup of outside coverage of the crimes.

The Washington Post grappled with the issue of the wide range of descriptions victims have given for their attacker, but also observed that, despite the seriousness of some of the attacks, there doesn’t seem to be widespread fear in the campus community.

Local blog DCist took issue with both the softhearted nickname of “Cuddler” as well as the University’s lackluster response to the issue, particularly the initial characterization of the August 30 attack as a burglary.

Top women’s rights blog Feministing took the “Cuddler” issue very seriously, pointing out that using cute nicknames for a sex offender “excuses the attacker, dismisses violence as acceptable, and condescends to survivors.”

More coverage after the jump…

Fox News gave a rundown of the attacks and interviewed students who expressed a growing dissatisfaction with referring to a sexual offender as the “Cuddler.”

Gossip and news blog Gawker provided a brief but sardonic look at the myriad of descriptions applied to the “Cuddler,” insinuating that a certain “Middle Eastern” chief executive (never mind the inaccuracy of the reference) may be among the culprits.

NBC News provided a basic summary of the issue and relayed the basic safety tips students have been receiving from the Department of Public Safety.

Tiffany Bridge of WeLoveDC also challenged the friendly nickname given to the perpetrator(s) of these assaults, proposing instead the “Georgetown Come-into-my-house-and-I’ll-beat-you-with-a-baseball-bat.” Bridge also included the oft-cited quote from Metropolitan Police Department 2^nd District Commander Matt Klein, who said, “You cuddle someone you love. We’re looking for a criminal.”

The women’s blog Jezebel pointed out that the “Cuddler” may be a real-life Edward Cullen, whose creeper factor cannot be denied.

As diverse as the coverage has been, the basic gist of it is essentially this: There seems to be more than one perpetrator, and students should lock their doors, avoid labeling an attacker as a “Cuddler,” and not wander around alone at night.

Interestingly enough, a large portion of the commenters on most of these blogs and articles have expressed indignation at the nickname “The Georgetown Cuddler.” Is it time for Georgetown to abandon this nickname in the hopes that the community might take the issue more seriously?

This evening, Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson and Vice President of University Safety Rocco DelMonaco sent out a broadcast e-mail about the incidents:

It is important to remember that those who perpetrate assaults are responsible for the harm they do. Descriptions that refer to some suspects as a “cuddler” detract from the serious nature of these incidents. We are committed to working with MPD to prevent crime, apprehend suspects, and enhance the safety and security of our campus community …

Working together we can prevent crime and help to keep our campus safe. Caring for one another is central to the Jesuit mission to be Women and Men for Others, and to care for one another and our campus community. Please join us in raising awareness and taking steps to address this set of issues.

I’ve complained about the administration’s relative silence about sexual assault issues in the past. When asked by the Voice on Tuesday about why the administration hasn’t been more vocal about sexual assaults, University President John DeGioia said, “right now the kinds of interventions that we have we think are proportionate to that kind of activity and this kind of concern.”

It’s nice to see the University finally explicitly address this problem, though—better late than never, after all.

Read the full broadcast e-mail after the jump…

Dear Students,

As we begin the academic year and approach a long weekend, we are writing to you today about the serious issue of campus safety and sexual assault. As you may know, our campus and surrounding neighborhoods have experienced incidents over the past year, and several in the past week. We are working closely with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in their ongoing investigation of these incidents and have resources in place to educate our community, respond to those in need, and protect the safety of our community.

It is important to remember that those who perpetrate assaults are responsible for the harm they do. Descriptions that refer to some suspects as a “cuddler” can detract from the serious nature of these incidents. We are committed to working with MPD to prevent crime, apprehend suspects, and enhance the safety and security of our campus community.

We have a comprehensive set of services and programs available to students related to sexual assault prevention and response. We conduct educational programming such as RU Ready, which will be held this year on September 30th, to engage the community in facilitated discussions about issues of sexual assault. We support student initiatives such as Take Back the Night and Men Creating Change, which promote awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. And we provide individualized services for students through our Counseling and Psychiatric Service (CAPS), the Women’s Center and Health Education Services. Students in need of confidential support or assistance may contact the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Coordinator (SARVC) at (202) 687-0323 for help. Residence Life, Off-Campus Student Life staff and chaplains in residence also provide resources for students. Information about these programs is available at be.georgetown.edu. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is also organizing self-defense training, the RAD Program, which will offer students another resource they may find valuable.

When campus officials are informed of incidents that may pose an ongoing threat to members of the campus community, we work closely with MPD to actively investigate incidents and alert the campus community through the Public Safety Alert system. As we begin the school year, the DPS has increased the number of officers on campus, added patrols on and off campus and has been working to remind students about safety as part of orientation sessions and residence hall meetings.

While the responsibility for assaults rests with the perpetrator, there are steps that students can take to be mindful of their personal safety. At social activities where alcohol is consumed, it is important for friends to look out for one another, and to be aware of possible risks as perpetrators will many times use alcohol to facilitate sexual assaults. Students should also lock room and apartment doors and windows. We all should be careful about walking alone, especially late at night, and take advantage of late night safety shuttle routes or Safe Rides escorts. It is also important to report any suspicious individuals or activities to DPS immediately at (202) 687-4343. DPS and MPD want this information because it helps to prevent incidents and solve those that have occurred. DPS has received calls this very week that are valuable in the ongoing investigations of several unsolved assaults.

Working together we can prevent crime and help to keep our campus safe. Caring for one another is central to the Jesuit mission to be Women and Men for Others, and to care for one another and our campus community. Please join us in raising awareness and taking steps to address this set of issues.

According the MPD report:

Complainant 1 reports that after falling asleep by herself, she awoke to Suspect 1 sexually assaulting her with digital penetration in her bed. Suspect 1 possibly gained access to the apartment through a front window. Complainant 1 stated that to her knowledge, no property was taken by Suspect 1.

The incident was classified by MPD primarily as a burglary and secondarily as sexual abuse, second degree.  According to the report, there were signs of forced entry.  The suspect is described as male, between 5′10″ and 6′0″ with a slight beard.  The suspect’s race, ethnicity, build, eye and hair color were unknown.

According to WTOP, MPD doesn’t know if one person or multiple people are responsible for the so-called “Cuddler” incidents.

When asked about the “Cuddler” moniker, MPD 2nd District Commander Matt Klein told WTOP, “You cuddle someone you love. We’re looking for a criminal.”

Reporting by Voice News Editor Eric Pilch

A student was sexually assaulted in her Village A apartment early this morning, according to a Public Safety Alert sent out by Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety.

This is the second reported sexual assault in three days; both incidents bear a strong resemblance to previous “Georgetown Cuddler” crimes. This is the second possible “Cuddler” incident that has reportedly occurred on campus (the previous incident occurred on September 25, 2008 in Village A).

According to the PSA:

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, at approximately 4:20 a.m., an unidentified male entered the residence of a student in Village A through a ground floor window. The suspect began to sexually assault the victim, whereupon the victim screamed and the suspect left the residence.

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, at approximately 4:20 a.m., an unidentified male entered the residence of a student in Village A through a ground floor window. The suspect climbed into the bed of the complainant while she slept. The suspect began to sexually assault the complainant, whereupon she screamed and the suspect left the residence through the front door, fleeing in an unknown direction.

The complainant immediately notified DPS. Both DPS and MPD responded to the scene. DPS is cooperating with MPD’s investigation.

The Voice is continuing reporting on both assaults and will post updates as we find out more.

According to the PSA:

On Sunday, August 30, 2009 at approximately 6:30 a.m., an unidentified male entered a student’s residence in the 1200 Block of 33rd Street, NW, and lay down on the couch with her. The complainant was startled awake, at which time she told the suspect to leave, which he subsequently did.

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 30, 2009, an unidentified male entered the residence of a student through an unlocked front door. The suspect lay down on the couch with the complainant. The complainant was startled awake and told the suspect to leave. The suspect subsequently left the residence, heading north on 33rd Street, then west on Prospect Street.

The complainant contacted MPD who responded to the scene. MPD notified DPS of the incident at approximately 8:00 a.m.

The Voice will let you know when we have more information about the incident.

Vox just obtained the Metropolitan Police Department’s report about the suspected “Cuddler” incident that occurred between 5 and 6 a.m. the morning of Saturday, July 25th at a house on the 1800 block of 35th Street.

According to the report:

[Complainant 1] was in her bed when an unknown subject entered her room, disrobed from the waist down, leaving his shoes on and climbed into the bed with her ad hugged her. C-1 never look at [Subject 1] because she assumed that it was her male friend that frequents her home.

C-1 did not realize until an hour or so later that S-1 was not a friend of hers when he attempted to touch C-1 while climbing on top of her placing his penis on her inner thigh. C-1 further states that her male friend is gay so once S-1 started to touch her she instantly knew that it was not her friend in the bed with her.

C-1 then rolled out from under S-1 and ran into the hallway where S-1 confronted her and asked C-1 “what’s the problem?” C-1 then ran down the stairs where the other house guest were to alert them. At which time S-1 vacated the premises in an unknown manner. C-1 and house guests then searched the home to make sure that S-1 was gone.

The MPD report classifies the incident primarily as a burglary and secondarily as “sexual abuse, misdemeanor.” The report states that there was no forced entry and the point of entry, method and tools used are unknown. The case is open for investigation, according to the report.

According to Georgetown’s Director of Media Relations Andy Pino, the incident has not been reported to the University’s Department of Public Safety.

We have updated our map of possible “Cuddler” incidents (above) to include this latest alleged attack.

More information from MPD after the jump.

In the message sent out to the Burleith and Georgetownforum listservs this morning about the incident, some neighbors had written that they had photographs of the suspected “Cuddler,” but had not sent the pictures out.

This afternoon Commander Rodney T. Parks of MPD’s Criminal Investigations Division sent a message out to the Burleith listserv saying that not only does MPD not have a photograph of the suspect, they don’t have a suspect at all. He also writes that while the incidents may have similar appearances and methods, they may not actually be related:

I have taken note of the recent information relating to the on-going investigations of various assaults occurring over the past several months. Please inform your community that there is no developed suspect or photograph of a possible suspect we have developed in this matter. We are looking into if anyone from the detectives unit may have given that false impression and apologize in advance for any confusion this may have created for your community if that is the case.

We are continuing our investigations in these cases and have no new information developed at this time. We are challenged by limited capability of the complainants to provide detailed descriptions and although similar [in] appearance and method there is no other link/connection to these cases.

(Emphasis mine)

At around 4:15 a.m. a “normal looking guy” holding a six pack of beer knocked on the back door of the house, the email says. A male friend who was staying downstairs let him in when he said he was there to see one of the roommates.  He left ten minutes later, and one of the roommates came downstairs and told the guys staying there that someone had been trying to pick the lock to her bedroom.  When they realized the visitor may have been an intruder, they locked all the downstairs doors.

The email says that between 5 and 5:30 a.m. that morning another roommate awoke to find a man getting into her bed.  She thought it was a male friend of hers who told her he might sleep over.  When she said her friends name the suspect replied, “Yeah, hey,” so she went back to sleep.  The victim was awakened around 6 a.m. when the man was on top of her.

She jumped out of bed and ran into the hallway, followed by the suspect.  According to the email, the he was of medium build, about 5′10″ or 5′11″ with short-cut brown hair and wearing a collared shirt.  By the time the victim ran downstairs to alert her friends, the suspect had left the house.

The email also says this is the second time in a year that the “Cuddler” has visited this house.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s Daily Crime Log shows there was burglary on July 25th on the 1800 block of 35th street between 5 and 6 a.m. Officials from MPD and the Department of Public Safety have not yet returned requests for comment, but we’ll let you know when we have more information.

*Text of the email has been removed at the request of its author.

GUSA Candidates, pre-squabbling

Georgetown’s student government, GUSA, doesn’t have a great record as far as presidential elections are concerned. In 2008, they experimented with instant run-off voting. They failed to conduct the election properly, though, and had to have a re-vote with the top four candidates.

This past year wasn’t much better. GUSA ditched IRV, but the election still devolved into chaos when the Election Commission disqualified two candidates hours before voting started. GUSA largely objected to the Election Commission’s decision, the election was suspended, complaints were filed, Election Commissioners resigned, and the disqualified candidates were ultimately reinstated.

9. Hoya independence and insensitivity

Students hold a sit-in after the Hoya’s April Fools’ issue

The Hoya, Georgetown’s self-proclaimed “newspaper of record,” has been trying to go independent from the University for a quite a while. Indications were that they were set to go independent this coming year.

They ran into trouble this spring when they published a racially insensitive April Fool’s issue. The issue led to protests from students and promises from the Hoya to reform.

8. SCUnity studies diversity

Cook and Kesten after presenting the SCUnity report

Two years ago, Brian Kesten (COL ‘10) and Brian Cook (COL ‘09) formed the Student Commission for Unity to study diversity at Georgetown. They conducted a large-scale student survey, and found serious problems with race relations on campus.

They analyzed the survey’s data in a 300 page report and used it to make some controversial policy recommendations. Although initially a GUSA committee, they broke away after GUSA approved only six of their eight recommendations.

7. The Norovirus Outbreak

A time line of Norovirus cases

This October, Georgetown was hit with the Norovirus plague. The aggressive, highly-contagious virus infected at least 215, causing vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. The outbreak was probably caused by food from Leo’s Grab n’ Go station and temporarily shut down Leo’s and forced athletic teams to cancel games due to sick players.

6. SAC and GUSA battle over funding student groups

SAC Chair Sophia Behnia (COL ‘09) often came to loggerheads with GUSA

The Student Activities Commission, the group of students responsible for doling out funds to clubs and approving their events, is not exactly the most popular bureaucratic body on campus. A couple years ago a GUSA audit revealed that SAC had $210,006 sitting around in reserve funds, and GUSA and SAC have been butting heads ever since.

GUSA has attempted with little success to start up an independent club fund and battled with SAC over the process of appointing the Commission Chair. Most recently GUSA threatened to not approve next year’s budget for student activities due to SAC’s indiscretions, but they relented at the last minute.

5. Hard drive with 38,000 Social Security Numbers stolen

A non-encrypted hard drive containing the names and social security numbers of 38,000 Georgetown students and alumni was stolen from the Student Affairs Office in the Leavey Center over winter break two years ago. The administration didn’t notify students for three weeks.

Because the fifth floor of Leavey, where the Student Affairs Office is located, requires a key to enter and the only thing stolen was the hard drive, some suspected that it was an inside job.

4. The “Cuddler” assaults Georgetown students

View The Georgetown Cuddler in a larger map

Suspected “Cuddler” incidents as of March 2009

Over the past few years, there have been a series of sexual assaults in which a man climbs into bed with a female student. The Metropolitan Police Department has said they suspect the incidents are related and students have taken to calling the perpetrator “The Cuddler.”

3. Secret Intellectual Life Report

An excerpt from the report (click to enlarge)

Back in March 2007, the Main Campus Executive Faculty compiled a confidential report about intellectual life report at Georgetown, and the results weren’t pretty.

The report [PDF], which the Voice obtained, harshly criticizes the level of student engagement in academics and made several recommendations (including one about the need to address partying and drinking; shortly after the report was secretly released, the new alcohol policy was enacted).

2. Alcohol Policy crackdown

Among the new regulations was a ban on beer pong tables

After confronting significant student protest against a proposed keg ban, at the end of the 2006-07 school year the administration sneakily enacted some pretty restrictive new alcohol policies.

When school started up again, the policies ended up stifling on-campus student life and pushing parties off campus—much to the dismay of neighbors. At the end of the 2007-08 school year, the Alcohol Policy Working Group proposed some revisions to soften the policy, some of which were adopted.

1. Hate crime spurs creation of LGBTQ Center

GU Pride hosted protests against the hate crime in Red Square

In September of 2007, a Georgetown student accused Phil Cooney (MSB ‘10) of yelling homophobic slurs and attacking him. The University only acknowledged the incident three weeks later, after many students had heard about it on the local news. Days later, a second anti-gay hate crime was allegedly committed.

Charges against Cooney were ultimately dropped, but the University’s silence about the first incident prompted protests by GU Pride which ultimately led to the creation of the LGBTQ Resource Center (the first such center at a Catholic university).