Three female undergraduates were allegedly sexually abused on or near the Foggy Bottom Campus during the first two weeks of the academic year.
Each incident involved alcohol and suspects who were acquaintances of the alleged victims, according to a University statement.
One case took place Wednesday at McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon, and another reportedly occurred Sunday night in Georgetown. The third alleged victim anonymously reported two separate instances of sexual abuse by different suspects at Townhouse Row Aug. 29 and Aug. 31.
The Townhouse Row incidents occurred in unit G, which houses the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, according to the University Police Department’s crime log. The specific unit was later removed from the listing due to “privacy concerns,” University Police Chief Kevin Hay said.
Hay said evidence suggests the suspects in the Townhouse Row cases were students. They were referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for disciplinary action, but UPD did not make any arrests and the victim did not press criminal charges.
“The alleged victim made the complaint as an anonymous person and provided us with limited information as to what occurred,” Hay said.
The department does not have evidence to determine if suspects in the off-campus incidents were students, he said.
Following the incidents, Smith said, the University offered the alleged victims health services and counseling.
“The George Washington University takes any allegations of sexual abuse very seriously, and each incident is being investigated,” the University statement read.
Hay said the University did not release an alert because the incidents were reported days later and there was no ongoing threat to the community.
The Metropolitan Police Department is leading the investigations of the Georgetown and McFadden’s incidents, while UPD is running the investigations for the incidents at Townhouse Row.
“In an effort to protect the privacy of the alleged victims, and because this is a pending investigation, we do not have further information to add,” Hay said.
The number of reported sexual offenses on the Foggy Bottom Campus steadily rose from five cases in 2007 to 12 incidents in 2010, according to the most recently available UPD statistics.
