A Temple University student reported being sexually assaulted at off-campus housing in North Philadelphia early Saturday, according to university officials. Temple said it found no imminent risk to the university community and is investigating the incident through its student code of conduct.
The reported assault occurred at University Village, on the 1700 block of North 10th Street, at approximately 2:30 a.m. on October 10, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. University Village is a gated, 749-bed student housing complex managed by American Campus Communities that offers upperclassman apartments — meaning the complex sits on private property rather than university-owned land, even though it falls inside Temple's patrol footprint. The Temple University Department of Public Safety classified the incident as rape in its daily crime log, the station's report notes.
Because the assault happened at a private off-campus residence, Temple is addressing it through its student conduct code rather than exclusively through police channels, per the same account. University officials said Temple's conduct process operates independently of law enforcement, and that students who report sexual assault get to decide for themselves whether to participate in a criminal investigation. The school said it is providing resources, including a victim advocate, to help the student navigate that process.
Where Campus Policing Ends and City Streets Begin
University Village falls within the off-campus perimeter that Temple University Police Department officers are assigned to patrol — a zone bounded by Susquehanna Avenue to the north, Jefferson Street (and Girard Avenue between 13th and Broad streets) to the south, 18th Street to the west, and 9th Street to the east, according to the Temple University Department of Public Safety. That overlapping jurisdiction, between campus police and Philadelphia police, is part of why incidents at privately managed complexes like University Village can still land in Temple's official crime log even though the university doesn't own the building. Temple's Department of Public Safety also oversees more than 300 contracted security officers across campus properties and runs the TUSafe personal safety app, launched in 2023.
A New Advisory Group Takes Shape Days Before the Report
Just a week before the reported assault, Temple President John Fry appointed Vice President for Student Affairs Jodi Bailey Accavallo, College of Public Health Dean Jennifer Ibrahim, and College of Education Dean Monika Williams Shealey as co-chairs of a newly formed Sexual Assault Advisory Group, according to Temple Now. The group, convened October 3 and made up of students, faculty and staff, will review Temple's current practices and make detailed recommendations to university administration, per NBC10 Philadelphia. The Temple News reported that the advisory group's creation followed heightened national attention to a September 2024 sexual violence lawsuit involving a fraternity at Cornell University, context that Fry cited in a message to the campus community.
Temple's 2026 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, issued September 28 under Interim Vice President for Public Safety Denise Wilhelm, documented three consecutive years of campus crime statistics. Under federally mandated reporting required by the Clery Act, Temple reported 10 instances of rape on or around campus last year, nine instances the year before, and four instances in 2023. That federal law requires all colleges receiving student aid to keep a daily public crime log and publish three years of sexual assault statistics.
What Options Survivors Have Outside the University
University disciplinary proceedings under Title IX and student conduct codes run independently of criminal courts, which lets colleges impose campus sanctions under a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard regardless of whether criminal charges are ever filed. Survivors in Philadelphia may seek medical care outside the university system. Survivors may also consider contacting WOAR—Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence. The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline can be reached at 800-656-4673.
