An attack on a woman at Carleton University has led students to question the safety of the Ottawa campus, despite millions spent on security upgrades.

Garmina Talwar, a vice-president of the Rideau River Residence Association, which represents students in residence, questioned Wednesday why she didn't learn about the assault until three days after it happened in the residence quad.

This points to a lack of urgency in notifying students, she said.

"Personally, that's a big problem for me."

Carleton University said in a statement Wednesday that it reacted "immediately" once it was informed of the assault, which took place between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday.

The university's response was to distribute a poster describing the suspect, a clean-shaven man in his 20s who wore a baseball cap. The department of university safety posted a notice about the assault on its community safety page Tuesday morning.

"Our priority is catching the individual who committed the assault," the university said in a statement, adding that the investigation continues.

Alert system under scrutiny

Carleton University has spent close to $2 million in safety upgrades since 2007, when a woman was violently sexually assaulted in a lab on campus.

The university has boosted the number of video cameras, emergency phones and safety patrols on campus, invested in extra lighting and recently unveiled an emergency-alert system that students can sign up for.

Carolina Surac, a first-year student who lives in residence, said she heard about the recent assault from her roommate, not the university, even though she signed up to receive alerts.

"I was shocked," she said. "I thought Carleton was safe."

She said the university "obviously" needs to do a better job communicating such incidents to students.

Talwar also signed up for the service and did not receive an alert either.

"Just having these systems and saying students are now safe — [that] just is not the case," Talwar said. "Having video cameras everywhere on campus, having telephones … is effective, but it is being reactive as opposed to being proactive."

She wants the university to do more to raise awareness about safety.

The university said its emergency notification system is designed to send alerts out during a crisis. However, campus security didn't learn about Friday's assault until after it happened.

Carleton also said it is working on an "extensive education campaign" and improving the co-ordination and quality of services for students who have experienced sexual assault. A session about sexual assault will be held in October for men.