Updated 11:42 a.m. 10/14/16

Lieutenant John Gaffin, interim NKU police chief, reiterated Friday that there was no increased danger on campus following the report of a rape earlier this week.

Gaffin, who sent the timely warning to students Thursday to notify them of a rape Oct. 10 at Woodcrest Apartments, said students should be vigilant but not fearful.

“We don’t see any elevated danger or risk from a regular day here on campus,” Gaffin said. “I don’t want people to be terrified to leave their dorms or the buildings. We provide the available information that we have – that’s the point of the timely warning.

“It lets people make decisions with that in mind, and hopefully they’re making safe and smart decisions.”

Because the incident was reported to Norse Violence Prevention (NVP) Center and not directly to NKU police, there was no further information about the incident to pass along, according to Gaffin.

“We work very closely with NVP,” Gaffin said. “Our hope is that the victim will make a report to the police department and we can go from there. That should give us a better idea as far as more details. But we realize that can be a challenging process for victims. That’s her prerogative and we hope she comes forward.”

Gaffin wanted to remind students that NKU police is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help serve the campus.

“People can call us around the clock, not just for reporting a crime but if something makes them feel uncomfortable, looks suspicious or if they want an escort,” Gaffin said. “So we’re here all the time, we’re always available and we want people feeling comfortable coming to us.”

While there is no ongoing threat on campus, Gaffin asks students to continue to be extra vigilant and look out for both themselves and each other.

The original story, as reported 10/13/16, is below.

A rape has been reported on the NKU campus, according to a timely warning email sent out by university police Thursday evening.

According to the email, the incident occurred between 1 and 4 a.m. Oct. 10 at the Woodcrest Apartments. The suspect was described to NKU Police as a male potentially residing in University Suites.

Amanda Nageleisen, university spokesperson, said that while students should always be vigilant, they do not believe that students are in danger on campus.

“We haven’t noticed a pattern of incidents or anything like that,” Nageleisen said. “There’s no reason to believe that students are in danger.”

Students who are concerned are encouraged to call for an escort.

“Our officers will focus extra attention on our dorms,” Nageleisen said. “Students should call for an escort if they are feeling uneasy.”

The email encourages anyone witnessing suspicious activity to report it to NKU police immediately. Nageleisen echoed those sentiments.

“We always urge students to be vigilant,” Nageleisen said. “Students should keep an eye out for themselves and for others as well.”

Lieutenant John Gaffin, interim chief of the NKU police department, said in the email that the incident was reported confidentially to Norse Violence Prevention Center (NVP) on Thursday.

In the narrative of the report, it states, “The victim … suspects the individual had been following or watching her. Through circumstances unknown to University Police, the suspect was in the victim’s dorm room with a third party.

“Upon the departure of the third party, the victim reports that she was sexually assaulted. No further information was provided to University Police as of the issuance of this Timely Warning.”

Gaffin also included in the email a list of safety recommendations, which included a reminder to students to not prop exterior or interior residential doors

In addition, the email encourages students to never authorize entry without verifying the identity of the person and determining that the person does not pose a threat.

This is an ongoing breaking news story. We will update if new information becomes available.