LGBT Student Assaulted on College of the Holy Cross Campus, Attack Under Investigation

Worcester police are searching for the attacker who assaulted an LGBT student on the College of the Holy Cross campus.

A college spokesman issued a statement Friday, saying that the college was made aware of the incident over the weekend. The Department of Public Safety immediately began an investigation into the assault, according to the spokesman.

"While we are treating this matter very seriously and the Department of Public Safety is working hard to investigate, we are unable to provide or confirm any more details in order to maintain the privacy of the person who reported," the statement said.

The student was allegedly punched by a peer and called a slur over the weekend, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports. Two students said the victim was walking on campus when they were targeted in an unprovoked attack.

"Even as the frequency of such horrible acts seems to be on the rise, we must not become desensitized to them," Collge President Philip L. Boroughs said in a statement. "We must continue to be outraged. We must shine a light in those dark places."

The school held a community vigil on Tuesday in solidarity of the victims of bias-based violence.

"We must and we will continue the hard work of building a campus community that not only treats each other with empathy and respect but also stands in solidarity against hate and intolerance," Boroughs said in the statement.