Sexual Assault Reported in Mertz Hall March 21

Content warning: Sexual assault

Campus Safety notified the Loyola community of a March 16 sexual assault in Mertz Hall with a crime alert at 1:09 p.m. March 21.

The crime alert said the offender was known to the victim and the assault happened in the early morning but didn’t include additional information on the incident. The email said the report of the crime was delayed, resulting in the delayed notification.

In the email, Campus Safety said members of the Loyola community should take precautionary steps including locking their rooms, walking in well-lit areas in a group and reporting suspicious persons or activity to Campus Safety. It noted a person incapacitated due to drugs including alcohol can’t consent to sexual activity.

One other incident of sexual assault occurring on campus has been reported since the beginning of the school year, according to Campus Safety’s archive of crime alerts. The previous incident happened this February in Baumhart Hall, The Phoenix previously reported.

In an email to The Phoenix, Loyola’s executive director of equity and compliance and Title IX coordinator Tim Love said the university doesn’t share specific details about such incidents out of respect for students’ privacy. Love encouraged students to utilize the support resources available to the Loyola community.

CPD didn’t respond to The Phoenix’s request for comment on the incident or investigation into it.

Campus Safety’s email encouraged students who witness potential sexual misconduct to be active bystanders by non-violently disrupting the situation if they feel safe to do so or seeking help from others to intervene.

Anyone who has information about a crime should immediately contact Campus Safety at 773-508-SAFE or [email protected], according to the email.

Survivors and co-survivors affected by sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence

Featured image by Heather Higgins / The Phoenix