(NEW YORK) — A man is accused of posing as a Stanford University student and living in at least five different dorms on campus for nearly a year, the university’s newspaper, The Stanford Daily, reported.
William Curry allegedly presented himself as a Stanford student on various social media profiles, including Instagram and a dating app.
“He had a whole Instagram page that many of my friends had already followed, that said he was Stanford class of ’25 … that he transferred from Duke,” student Kacey Logan said.
“He certainly was not a person who was just making do on Stanford’s campus, living off of the excesses,” Theo Baker, a writer at The Stanford Daily, told ABC News. “He was a part of this community. He was living alongside people and very much interacting with them on a day-to-day basis.”
Stanford told ABC News that Curry was cited for violating the law and removed from campus in December 2021. But according to the Daily, he returned several times, each time with a new story.
Stanford said, despite attempts to cite him for trespass, they weren’t able to locate Curry until last week. Curry was caught living in the basement of Stanford’s Crothers Hall last week and was issued a “stay away” order.
When asked by The Stanford Daily what he was doing on campus, Curry said he was “living the normal Stanford life, you know, socializing, you know, meeting people, as you do in college.”
Stanford told ABC News some staff members in dorms where Curry was seen were notified. But Stanford didn’t have a broad communication system in place, which allowed him to move to other locations.
Stanford told ABC News in a statement, “While Stanford has protocols and policies in place to prevent non-students from entering and living in our residences, the unique aspects of this case and Mr. Curry’s persistence and ability to ingratiate himself with our student community have made it clear that gaps exist in those protocols.”
Stanford said it’s reviewing its procedures.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case, but no charges have been filed.
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