Female student sexually assaulted at social house

Author: Derek Schlickeisen

[CORRECTED FEB. 21]

Two men are alleged to have assaulted a female student late Friday night at Brackett, the home of Tavern social house, according to a campus-wide crime alert sent by the Department of Public Safety on Monday evening.

The assault, described as a sex offense in the alert, took place after the victim asked one of the men standing in the hallway outside of a dorm room for assistance, according to Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah. The man in question and a "more muscular" companion then led the victim into a room and assaulted her before fleeing the scene.

The assault occurred after a party at Tavern's Brackett house, but no members of the social house have been publicly identified in connection with the incident and Tavern members said Wednesday that no one from their organization was involved.

The crime alert sent by Public Safety included few details and described the assailants only as white males with brown hair. Boudah explained that her office hoped it would lead to more facts in the case.

"We are hoping that in revealing this information, even though it now seems limited or unhelpful, either members from the community or members of Tavern who have information will come forward," she said.

Other details were intentionally left out of the alert, according to Boudah, as a result of the investigation's sensitive and ongoing nature.

"It's a continuing investigation," she said. "We have a responsibility to notify the community when a serious crime occurs. We can't reveal all the details because it could affect the outcome of the investigation, and we need to maintain privacy."

The assault is the second alleged sexual assault at Middlebury in less than a year.
An incident last April at Prescott, the former home of Delta House, involved an assault on one female student and an attempted assault on another. Formal charges against a former Middlebury student were filed late last month in connection with that incident, and Delta House suffered a one-year suspension penalty after violations of the College's alcohol policy were identified in the investigation.

Now, Boudah stressed, the College will make an increased effort to educate students about protecting themselves at parties and other events.

"We are planning to send out more information about things to be mindful of when going out at night," she said, "like setting limits, drinking responsibly, and letting friends know where you are and who you'll be with during the night. Students need to understand that even with the best planning and safety strategies, there are always people who will create problems."

[CORRECTED FEB. 21: An earlier version of this article implied a connection between Tavern social house and the alleged assault. No connection has been reported by the College. The Campus regrets this error.]