Three female students reported they were assaulted in their dorm rooms early Saturday morning, according to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan Charlotte Benham '07, who lives in the Village and wanted to be identified, told the Justice she was physically assaulted in her room by a white male, and three students in Shapiro Hall in Massell Quad reported an assailant of similar description entering their rooms about the same time, Callahan said. Two of those students in Shapiro told police the suspect touched them while they were asleep.

Police began questioning witnesses of the Village incident immediately afterward, and friends of Benham the next day, Callahan and the victim said. Though substantially less information is available regarding the incidents in Shapiro, the Brandeis and Waltham Police presence on campus was visibly heightened throughout the weekend and yesterday.

Callahan said that while the suspect in the Shapiro incidents "possibly" fits the description of the person in the Village, he was "not 100 percent sure" the attacks were connected.

Benham said she was reading in bed when a man entered her room and carefully closed the door so it wouldn't slam.

"As soon as I realized it wasn't someone I knew, I said, 'Hey, what are you doing?'" Benham said. "He grabbed me out of bed. I was only wearing my underwear. He grabbed me around the waist, then he started punching me full-on in the face."

Benham said she kicked the suspect in the stomach and tried to push him away.

"He sort of had me half on the bed, and then he suddenly dropped me and ran out of the room," Benham said.

Arjan Singh Flora '07, who lives on the same floor as Benham and had accidentally allowed the suspect into the building, came into Benham's room right after the attack.

"I find her there with her face completely bruised, bloodied, blood coming from her nose and her mouth," he said. "I believe she was naked because she was kind of hiding behind the door. [Benham] said that she had no clue who it was. She was just in shock. She didn't know what was going on."

Though Callahan said there were two witnesses in the Village, Benham said three hallmates saw the suspect run out of the building. Benham and witnesses said the suspect was of average height and wore a green windbreaker and a baseball cap. Callahan said none of the witnesses saw the man's face.

Benham was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital where she was treated for facial injuries and bruises, but suffered no broken bones.

Benham returned to her home in Worcester, where she has been sleeping since Saturday night. She is still attending classes.

Students in Shapiro Hall reported an unidentified white male of a similar description entering their rooms about the same time Saturday morning. Callahan said the suspect allegedly entered three rooms in the dorm. The man quickly left the first room after realizing the female resident was awake, Callahan said.

Callahan said the student dismissed the incident as "just another drunk college student," and said she would not be able to identify the suspect.

The suspect entered a second room where he allegedly touched a female resident's leg and fled when the student awoke. The suspect then entered a third room, and allegedly touched another female student's leg, this time for longer before the student awoke.

"The [third victim] also thought she was having a dream, " Callahan said. "Apparently, the student was shocked at the activity and was startled and upset."

Flora said he noticed an individual following him as he walked up an external staircase leading to his floor in the Village about 4 a.m. Saturday.

"When I walked up the stairwell, I just flung open the door and walked in and he caught it as it was closing," he said.

Flora said he was in his room for "about a minute or so" before he heard screaming.

"I went out into the hallway, and as I was approaching the room where the screams were coming from, the guy comes out and I start chasing after him," Flora said.

After initially pursuing the suspect Flora went back to enter Benham's room.

Callahan and Flora both confirmed that a second witness, who had been sleeping on a couch in the floor's common room, woke to the screams and saw the suspect flee.

In the midst of her recovery, Benham said students should know the danger they face.

"I feel strongly ... that the girls on this campus need to know that they are not as safe as they think they are," she said. "I would really urge people to take this quite seriously. I would not wish any of this psychological or physical trauma on anyone."

Assistant Dean of Student Life Alwina Bennett echoed a similar sentiment.

"Hopefully in partnership with students we can increase people's awareness about safety," she said. "Sometimes we feel like we're at home, but this is the real world."

Residence Life called a quad meeting in the Village Sunday night, and urged residents to lock their doors and exercise caution. Public Safety sent a campuswide e-mail Saturday afternoon reporting the Village assault, and another Monday night about the incidents in Shapiro.

The Student Union Senate issued a resolution Monday night condemning all acts of violence on campus.