Campus Alert Archive
SCSU

Forced Into Her Own Dorm Room at 2 AM: SCSU's Timely Warning After a Hallway Encounter

MNsexual assaulttimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Between 2:00 and 3:00 AM CDT on November 1, 2024, a female St. Cloud State University student was pushed into her residence hall room and sexually assaulted by two men she encountered in the hallway. Surveillance footage showed the two suspects — later identified as Sujan Tamang and Dipak Phayal — switching clothing after the assault, then returning to the dorm. SCSU issued a Star Alert timely warning describing the incident and asking the public to identify the suspects.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
St. Cloud State University
Public Masters · MN
~9,300 studentsStar Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction412 chars
Star Alert (Clery Timely Warning): St. Cloud State University Public Safety is investigating a sexual assault that occurred in a residence hall in the early morning hours of Friday, November 1, 2024. Two unknown males are sought as suspects. If you have any information, contact Public Safety at 320-308-3333 or St. Cloud Police. Resources are available through the SCSU Counseling Center and It's About RESPECT.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Issued under Clery Act timely-warning requirements for sex offenses; SCSU did not order a campus lockdown because the assault was an isolated event without an ongoing in-progress threat
The 320-308-3333 number is SCSU Public Safety's published dispatch line
'It's About RESPECT' is SCSU's named sexual-violence prevention program — referenced in SCSU's official Title IX resources
FOLLOW-UPEmail+114d
Approximate reconstruction354 chars
Star Alert Update: Stearns County investigators have released photographs of two suspects sought in connection with the November 1, 2024 residence hall sexual assault. Nationwide warrants have been issued. If you recognize either individual, please call Stearns County at 320-251-4240 or Crime Stoppers. SCSU continues to coordinate with law enforcement.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Nearly four months elapsed between assault and identification — a delay that drew criticism from student-press and survivor-advocacy quarters
Star Alert was used as the channel because SCSU's mass-notification system is the only campus-wide tool with SMS and email reach
Tamang was a New York resident and Phayal was a Fremont, California resident — both off-campus connections that complicated the manhunt
Context

Background

St. Cloud State University, founded 1869, enrolls about 9,300 students on the Mississippi River in central Minnesota. Between 2:00 and 3:00 AM CDT on Friday, November 1, 2024, a female student walking back to her residence hall room encountered two unknown men in the hallway. According to the charging documents reviewed by Bring Me The News, the men pushed her into her own room, closed the door, and assaulted her — one holding her down while the other raped her — before one left and the second continued the assault alone. Surveillance footage later obtained by investigators showed the two men switching clothing in the dorm lobby before returning. SCSU issued a Star Alert Clery timely warning to the campus community in the days that followed. The suspects were not publicly identified until February 26, 2025, when Stearns County released photos and announced nationwide warrants. Dipak Phayal and Sujan Tamang were arrested shortly thereafter; both have since been convicted and sentenced.
Analysis

Key Findings

The four-month delay between assault and public identification of suspects exposes a gap in residence-hall surveillance review and inter-agency information-sharing — the perpetrators were filmed entering and leaving the building on the night of the assault
SCSU's timely warning correctly used Clery emergency-notification language for a sex offense even though there was no ongoing in-progress threat, reflecting post-2008 Clery Act reforms
The case prefigured a March 2026 SCSU incident in which another student brought a loaded handgun to class and threatened a fraternity — suggesting compounded campus-safety strain on the Minnesota State institution
Both suspects were non-Minnesota residents (New York and California), complicating the manhunt and underscoring how off-campus social networks affect on-campus crime
Outcome
Stearns County and US Marshals issued nationwide warrants in February 2025. Both men were arrested. Phayal was convicted at trial in January 2026 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, aiding and abetting, and third-degree CSC; he was [sentenced to 12 years in May 2026](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/st-cloud-state-sexual-assault-phayal-sentencing/). Tamang pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree CSC and was [sentenced to 8 years in March 2026](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/st-cloud-state-dorm-sexual-assault-sentencing-tamang/). The case became a Clery-Act stress test for SCSU because the suspects remained at large for nearly four months between assault and arrest.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Charges: Woman held down while she was raped by fellow St. Cloud State student (Bring Me The News)
    bringmethenews.com
  2. News
    Nationwide warrants issued for two men accused of sexually assaulting St. Cloud State University student (KARE 11)
    kare11.com
  3. News
    Men arrested in alleged sexual assault of St. Cloud college student (CBS Minnesota)
    cbsnews.com
  4. News
    Stearns County Looking for Two Men Connected to Possible Sexual Assault at St. Cloud State University (KNSI)
    knsiradio.com
  5. News
    Man sentenced to 12 years for sexually assaulting St. Cloud State student (CBS Minnesota)
    cbsnews.com
  6. News
    Man sentenced to 8 years for sexually assaulting St. Cloud State student (CBS Minnesota)
    cbsnews.com
Tags
sexual-assaultresidence-hallclery-timely-warningpublic-mastersminnesotasaint-cloudminnesota-state-systemdelayed-identificationnationwide-warrant
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion