U. student yet to decide on filing rape charges

The University student who reported being raped by a fellow student early Saturday morning has not yet decided to file charges against her attacker, University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said last night. Kuprevich said the victim does not immediately have to file charges against her alleged attacker. He said the student wanted to inform police about the incident but did not want to take the case to the Philadelphia Police Sex Crimes division. If she does decide to press charges, she and University Police will have to work with Sex Crimes. But University Police are continuing their own investigation of the complaint, according to Detective Supervisor Michael Carrol, who refused to comment on any specifics of the case. According to police, the student was allegedly raped by a male student she knew in an unspecified University dormitory around 2 a.m. Saturday. Two Philadelphia Police spokesmen said yesterday that Philadelphia Police have not been notified about the incident, nor have they begun an investigation into the incident. But Kuprevich said last night that, although the student chose not to file a formal complaint with Philadelphia Sex Crimes, the division was notified by University Police about the incident. Kuprevich said that Sex Crimes agreed not to press the victim to come forward and agreed not to begin investigating until the victim files a formal complaint. Kuprevich stressed that University Police will only "go forward" with charges when the "survivor is ready." Derek Goodman, a Students Together Against Aquaintance Rape Executive board member, said last night that the victim has not come forward to his group. Goodman said it is "a little premature" to expect the student to come forward so soon.

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