Following the attack at University Oaks, safety concerns for UTSA students are increasing

SAN ANTONIO – If the students weren’t already cautious, they certainly are now. The sexual assault at UTSA hit close to home for them and they want to take extra measures to ensure their safety.

The University of Texas at San Antonio is investigating a sexual assault that occurred over the weekend at a residence hall on UTSA campuses.

Currently, the suspect is still at large, raising safety concerns for students on campus.

According to UTSA Police, a sexual assault occurred after 4 a.m. Sunday morning

The sexual assault occurred at University Oaks, next door to UTSA.

University Oaks is an on-campus housing complex, but is not a UTSA residence hall or residence hall.

According to UTS, a man entered the apartment through an unlocked window, attacked a resident and then fled the scene.

We’re told the victim didn’t know the suspect.

For UTSA freshman Zoe Mabie, hearing about the assault was nerve-wracking, especially as a woman.

“It’s something that always worries in the back of your mind and this situation has added to the worry, it’s such a close call. University Oaks is about 2-3 minutes from my own apartment, it can happen to anyone, it compounds that and makes you a little bit anxious,” she said

Mabie and her roommates take this very seriously and are taking extra measures to ensure safety.

“We make sure all our windows and all doors are locked before we go to bed. We now have a system that lets us know whether someone is in the apartment or not so we can lock it. “If anyone is in the apartment, the apartment is locked at all times,” she added.

Mabie says there is no security at her apartment, but there are always people there. However, a UTSA senior believes safety for students needs to be improved.

“Keep your eyes open, but we still need to raise these issues with the university itself so that they take it more seriously,” said Oluwaferanmi Shebioba, a senior at UTSA.

“I hope they take security more seriously, universities often have easy access and the gates are always open. How can we make this even more stringent? And the key fobs themselves may not be the best in terms of security,” he said.

The suspect is described as a heavyset man with a light complexion who was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, dark shorts and a backwards baseball cap.

UTSA reminds everyone to stay safe by locking doors and windows and reporting suspicious behavior.

The suspect is described as a heavyset man with a light complexion who was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, dark shorts and a backwards baseball cap.

UTSA reminds everyone to stay safe by locking doors and windows and reporting suspicious behavior.

We reached out to the on-campus residential villages, who issued a statement saying, “At University Oaks, the well-being of our residents, guests and staff is our priority. We are cooperating fully with local authorities and encourage residents to report any concerns to our local management.” Team, as well as the UTSA Police Department, can also confirm that the UTSA Police Department will be increasing its patrol rounds throughout the community.

Anyone with information is asked to call the UTSA Police Department at 210-458-4242.