Campus Alert Archive
Swarthmore

Two Weeks Into Fall Semester, a 1,600-Student Campus Confronts a Sexual Assault Timely Warning

PAsexual assaulttimely warninghigh confidence
Under Investigation

Swarthmore College's Department of Public Safety issued a timely warning after a student reported a sexual assault that occurred in the early morning hours at Worth Residence Hall. The reporting student was unable to recall additional details at the time. The Dean's Office and Title IX coordinator were notified. The notice emphasized that sexual violence is never the victim's fault and directed community members to campus resources.

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Institution
Swarthmore College
Private Liberal Arts · PA
~1,600 studentsSwarthmore Public Safety
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimSwarthmore College Public Safety1151 chars
TIMELY WARNING NOTICE - SEXUAL ASSAULT On 9/8/19 at approximately 1:30 a.m., Public Safety was informed of a sexual assault. Officers responded and met with the reporting Swarthmore student. At that time, it was learned that the incident may have occurred earlier that morning at Worth Residence Hall. The reporting student was unable to recall any additional information at that time. The reporting student has been offered resources and options. Members of the Dean's Office responded to the incident, and the Title IX coordinator was advised of this matter as well. Anyone with information that might aid in the investigation or who observed any criminal or suspicious activity is asked to contact the Swarthmore College Department of Public Safety at 610-328-8333 or the Swarthmore Borough Police Department at 610-543-0123 or 911. Such acts of sexual violence are never the victim's fault, and the blame lies solely with the perpetrator(s). Victims of crime are encouraged to seek help and resources from Public Safety, CAPS, Title IX or other on- and off-campus support agencies. Michael J. Hill Director of Public Safety Swarthmore College
Published on the official Swarthmore College Public Safety timely warning notices page, confirming this is the exact text
The phrase 'unable to recall any additional information' signals the potential involvement of alcohol or incapacitation without stating it explicitly
Location is identified only as Worth Residence Hall with no room number or floor, following the standard practice of protecting the reporting student's privacy in sexual assault timely warnings
The closing statement that 'sexual violence is never the victim's fault' is a deliberate departure from the neutral institutional tone of most Clery notifications and reflects post-2013 VAWA-influenced language
Signed by name by the Director of Public Safety, which is uncommon for timely warnings and adds a personal accountability dimension
Issued just two weeks into the fall semester at a small residential campus where nearly all 1,600 students live on campus, meaning the entire community received and discussed this notice
Context

Background

Swarthmore College is an elite private liberal arts college in suburban Philadelphia with approximately 1,600 students, nearly all of whom live on campus. The September 2019 timely warning arrived during a period of heightened attention to sexual assault on the Swarthmore campus. Just months earlier, in April 2019, students had staged a sit-in at the Phi Psi fraternity house after documents surfaced describing a history of sexual misconduct at campus fraternities. Both Swarthmore fraternities subsequently voted to disband. The timing of this timely warning, so soon after the fraternity disbandments, meant it was received by a campus community already primed for conversations about sexual violence. At a school with only 1,600 students, a sexual assault timely warning functions differently than at a large university: the community is small enough that rumors circulate quickly, the residence halls are intimate enough that the location narrows the pool of potential witnesses, and the shared experience of receiving the notification creates a campus-wide reckoning rather than a notification lost in a large inbox. The notice was signed personally by Director of Public Safety Michael J. Hill, an unusual touch that added individual accountability to what is typically anonymous institutional communication.
Analysis

Key Findings

At a 1,600-student residential campus, a sexual assault timely warning reaches effectively 100% of the community and becomes an unavoidable shared experience in a way that is impossible at larger institutions
The timely warning arrived just months after student sit-ins over fraternity sexual misconduct led both Swarthmore fraternities to disband, making it part of an ongoing campus reckoning
The personal signature of the Director of Public Safety is uncommon for Clery timely warnings and adds a layer of individual accountability
The phrase 'unable to recall any additional information' communicates the possibility of incapacitation without explicitly naming it, a careful linguistic choice in sexual assault notifications
Outcome
The reporting student was connected with campus resources including CAPS counseling, the Title IX office, and SHARE. The matter was referred to the Swarthmore Borough Police Department and the Title IX coordinator for investigation.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Timely Warning Notice - Sexual Assault 9/8/2019 - Swarthmore College Public Safety
    swarthmore.edu
  2. Official
    Timely Warning Notices - Swarthmore College Public Safety
    swarthmore.edu
  3. News
    After sexual assault allegations, Swarthmore fraternities disband - Inside Higher Ed
    insidehighered.com
Tags
sexual-assaulttimely-warningliberal-artssmall-campusresidence-halltitle-ixvawapennsylvaniafraternity-contextUnder Investigation
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion