Police, Drexel investigate alleged dorm rape

Philadelphia Police are conducting an investigation into an alleged rape in a residence hall on Drexel University's campus last month.

Inspector Bill Colarulo said that "the victim may be 14 years of age," although he could not release any specifics about the case.

"There is an ongoing investigation," Colarulo said, adding that it is being handled by the Special Victims Unit.

Drexel University is also looking into the incident. In a statement released on Friday, it describes the case as "an alleged sexual assault that took place in a campus residence hall in late October."

While police would not confirm details surrounding the situation, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Saturday that the victim had been visiting her sister, who is a Drexel student, on Oct. 26, when a male student took her to his room, located on the 3300 block of Race Street.

Drexel hosted its "Third Annual Drexel University Siblings Weekend," also known as "Lil' Sibs Weekend," on Oct. 25 and 26, according to its Web site.

Although the incident allegedly occurred in October, the victim did not report the case until Thursday of last week, the Inquirer reported.

According to the university's statement, Drexel "is cooperating fully with external investigative organizations" to resolve the matter.

Penn has seen two reports of indecent assaults in students' dormitory rooms since the beginning of the academic year.

In one, an employee of Penn Jersey Window Cleaning, a company that had been subcontracted by the University, was accused of entering a female graduate student's Hamilton College House room and assaulting her on Aug. 27. Although the suspect, Marshall Thompson, at one point faced accusations of attempted rape, that charge was dismissed at a hearing last week.

More recently, a Wharton sophomore was charged with indecent assault, among other things, after he allegedly entered a female student's Harnwell College House dormitory room and fondled her in late September.

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