FARMINGTON – Officers at the University of Maine at Farmington continue their search for a young, white male who physically assaulted a female student Saturday afternoon in a campus dorm stairwell.

A sketch of the suspect was released Monday night, but there are no other updates, said Jennifer Eriksen, a UMF spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Described as being approximately 6 feet tall and around 20 years old, the suspect was reported to be wearing a black, knit skullcap, black hooded sweatshirt, jeans and green sneakers with black/white lines.

According to police, he demanded money from the student, pushed her against a wall and pressed a sharp object to her back. He then went through her purse before fleeing into the basement of Scott Hall.

While the campus has security measures in place for students and staff, two previous attacks on campus this school year have the school expanding security, Eriksen said. An attempted robbery and assault of a young man happened in December, and a female student was assaulted as she unlocked her car on High Street in February. In response to student questions since Saturday, a campuswide e-mail was sent Monday making everyone aware of safety precautions that the university is taking now, she said.

The university is expanding an escort service that provides all members of the UMF community with a public safety escort to their cars or classes 24 hours a day. The program is beginning to provide student group escorts, she said.

Self-defense courses are being offered by the university at the Fitness and Recreation Center.

The university’s emergency crisis management plan is also being improved with a particular interest in expanding emergency communication options.

A committee has been working on multiple methods of communication in crisis such as e-mails, text messaging and posting notices in the Student Center, she added. Residence assistants in the dormitories have also received additional training, including crisis exercises and drills, she said.

After the afternoon incident, a security meeting was held at Scott Hall to talk about what happened. About 100 students attended the meeting to discuss the facts and safety issues surrounding dorm guest policies. All campus dorms are locked all the time and have a key card system, she said.

The meeting provided an opportunity to talk to the students about community building, she added.

“When you know your fellow students within the hall, you can take better care of each other and might recognize someone entering the building who might not be associated with someone or who has not been invited into the hall,” she said.

Since last fall, a public safety advisory committee has been formed and just started meeting.

Formation of the committee prompted interest all over campus and now includes students faculty and staff, she added.