Sex assault in UH dorm alarms students

A woman also has her wallet taken in the attack, and another room is burglarized

A sexual assault in a freshman dorm yesterday left University of Hawaii-Manoa administrators, students and parents on edge on the eve of the fall semester.

A female student reported being assaulted by an intruder who also took her wallet.

The incident followed another burglary at the same dormitory, Hale Aloha Mokihana.

The student reported she awoke in her room at around 5:50 a.m. yesterday to find a man who pushed a pair of scissors against her face, injuring her slightly. She screamed, and he fled before she could get a good look at him.

Another burglary, with no sexual assault, happened between 2 and 5 a.m. Saturday.

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Back-to-back burglaries and a sexual assault in a freshman dorm at the University of Hawaii at Manoa had students and parents on edge yesterday on the eve of the fall semester.

A female student was sexually assaulted and her room burglarized in the Hale Aloha Mokihana dormitory at about 5:50 a.m. yesterday, and a burglary occurred in the same dorm early Saturday, university officials said.

A mass UH e-mail to all Manoa students, staff and faculty warned about the incidents yesterday and urged an extra measure of caution as the semester opens today.

The female student reported that a man entered her room while she was sleeping and pushed a pair of scissors against her face, causing a small cut. The suspect then grabbed her crotch and pushed her back onto her bed.

The victim screamed and fought back, causing the suspect to run from the room. After a check of the room, she found her wallet was missing.

UH-Manoa spokesman Gregg Takayama said the victim did not get a good look at her attacker and does not believe she knows him.

"We are taking this very seriously because it's very unusual for physical assault to happen in the dorm," Takayama said. "We know we have a problem with property crime and theft on campus, but it's unusual for violent crimes to happen, in particular with the dorms."

Takayama said he believes the student did not have her door locked. He also said officials believe the two burglaries could be related and that the student might have just unfortunately awakened during the burglary and was then attacked.

The first burglary, with no sexual assault, happened between 2 and 5 a.m. Saturday.

Mokihana resident Stephanie DeLima, 19, expressed shock at the incidents.

"It's surprising that something like that happened," she said. "Sometimes I think the access is too easy."

"That's creepy," added Caitlin Hynes, 18, a freshman from Denver who just moved in Thursday. "I never expected something like that to happen."

Hynes and her roommate do not lock the door when they are in the room, but will likely start doing so now, she said.

A freshman who moved in on Saturday, 17-year-old Jaselle Perry, said she would take more precautions while on campus. "It is definitely a reality check for me. I didn't think this would happen in my dorm," said Perry.

Parents who helped their children move into the dorms were concerned about the incident but not worried about overall security.

Stanley Zapor of Colorado, helping his son move into his dorm on the 12th floor, said he was fairly happy with security at Mokihana.

"So far, I haven't seen anything that was an indication of lax security," Zapor said. "I am a little concerned, but I'm sure that now security would be much tighter."

Another parent, Rodney Lum, walked his daughter, 18-year-old freshman Elisha Lum, into her dorm at Ilima.

"It is unfortunate that it happened right before school started," he said. "The security seems adequate, and they look like they're doing everything they can."

In order to get into the main entrance of Mokihana, students need a key. Guests must sign in and overnight guests are not allowed.

However, Takayama acknowledges that it is a common practice for residents to let strangers in.

"What would be a real big help is if the students in the dorm would be extra-alert to the presence of strangers in the area and to report them," Takayama said.

Takayama said there will be a greater security presence around the dorms and is asking residents to be extra-vigilant.