Students are taking extra precautions after an attempted sexual assault in East Lansing on Thursday.

“I’m locking my car a lot more and making sure my apartment is locked all the time,” communication senior Jen Aragones said.

Graduate student Erika Bruder said news of a sexual assault is reason for alarm.

“I’m not going to go out at night by myself,” she said.

Between 40 and 44 sexual assaults have been reported in East Lansing annually for the past four years.

On Thursday, the actions of an unknown man added to that statistic after he entered an MSU student’s home during the early morning hours and attempted to sexually assault her, East Lansing police said.

The man made verbal threats of a sexual nature to the woman, East Lansing police Capt. Juli Liebler said. The woman was not physically harmed.

The man may have entered the house through an unlocked door, police said.

He was described as white, between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a small build and either green or blue eyes. The man was wearing light-colored jeans, a waist-length gray jacket with a collar, a ski mask and white tennis shoes.

He was last seen running through an alley behind the Evans Scholars house, 831 E. Grand River Ave.

The woman called police as soon as the man left her home, Liebler said. Police searched the area but could not locate the man. There are no suspects.

Police officers knocked on doors in the area to see if residents knew anything regarding the assault, Liebler said. Students are doing just what police advised, taking extra precautions.

“Be mindful of your surroundings and be sure to lock doors,” Liebler said. “Pull down your blinds so people can’t see in your window at night.”

Jenna Haywood, counselor at the Listening Ear Crisis Intervention Center, 1017 E. Grand River Ave., said survivors of incidents such as this could be psychologically damaged for the rest of their lives.

“This is probably one of the most traumatic things anyone could experience,” Haywood said.

“Everyone has different ways of dealing with this, but keeping it inside doesn’t help.”

Counseling such as that offered at the Listening Ear can be helpful, Haywood said. Survivors can sit down one-on-one with a volunteer. Hotlines are available 24 hours a day.

“Going to the hospital and doing the police report can be almost as violating as the rape itself,” she said.

The counseling center works with area police to create a more sensitive environment for sexual assault victims, Haywood said.

Danielle Bell, a volunteer with MSU’s Sexual Assault Crisis and Safety Education Program said sexual assaults of this nature are not common on campus.

She said students should exercise caution in where they spend their time and in what company.

“Almost all of the rape cases or cases of sexual assault are acquaintance rape, date rape or someone who knows the victim,” Bell said. “I don’t think the organization has ever gotten a call where the victim doesn’t know the offender.”

MSU’s Sexual Assault Crisis and Safety Education Program has volunteers available 24 hours a day at (517)372-6666. The Listening Ear also offers anytime counseling available at (517)337-1717.

Staff writer Tony Planas contributed to this report.

Tara May can be reached at maytara@msu.edu.