Rice University student sexually assaulted by fellow Rice student

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A student at Rice University was sexually assaulted on campus over the weekend.  Some students at Rice University say they were caught off guard to receive an email from campus police announcing a violent crime on campus, a student sexually assaulted.

“The first email we got was saying there was one (a sexual assault) and then the second one said they were investigating it and they had actually identified a suspect,” explains Rice University Junior Matt Roorda.

The Chief of the Rice University Police Department says the female Rice University student was sexually assaulted on campus after midnight Saturday by a man she did not know while she was attending a party. 

The accused attacker?  A fellow Rice student.

“It’s rare to see something like that happen at Rice.  Probably just once a semester we get something from the police about something happening on campus, not necessarily sexual assault," explains another Rice student.

“It's a pretty big problem on college campuses but I think Rice did a great job of informing the students about the problem," says Kendahl, a Junior at Rice University.

"This sort of thing actually happens sort of frequently but it infrequently comes to light.  So yeah it's jarring to hear about but I wouldn't say it's unexpected," adds Roorda.

So do students still feel safe here?

”Yeah definitely.  I live off campus but I've never felt unsafe on campus before.  (And this doesn't change anything?) Nope” says Kendahl. 

Rice University Police Chief Johnny Whitehead says, "At the request of the survivor, no criminal charges have been filed, though that remains an option. For the safety of the campus the suspect has been separated from the university on an interim basis".