A Philadelphia man was stabbed early Sunday morning near some tennis courts on the Millersville University campus, a university official said today.

Khaleel Ferguson, 22, was in stable condition today following the stabbing, said campus spokeswoman Janet Kacskos.

Ferguson, who is not an MU student, was assaulted about midnight in an area between two buildings, Bard and Brooks halls, on the eastern side of the campus.

No arrest has been made in the case.

Students said today the stabbing may have grown out of a party held at Bard Saturday evening.

Campus officials posted a notice about the stabbing on dormitories and other campus buildings late Sunday night.

Some students today expressed concern that they did not receive more immediate notification about the assault, through a campus emergency text message service.

"I'm sorry, if someone gets stabbed on campus, I'd kind of like to know about it," said Martha Swanson, an 18-year-old freshman who lives in the dormitory next to where the stabbing took place.

Kacskos said that a text message was not immediately sent because MU police were not able to talk to the victim until later in the day on Sunday.

"We had very little information," she said. "Sending a text message that a stabbing took place would not have been helpful without additional information."

University police declined to say whether the stabbing was random or happened as the result of a disagreement or incident on campus or elsewhere, Kacskos said.

"They said it's under investigation," she said.

However, several students who live in Bard Hall said today they heard the incident happened after a party that was held in a basement lounge in the dorm.  The  three-story facility houses 162 students.

Steven David, a freshman and Bard  Hall resident, said he heard that some off-campus people were involved in a brief dispute that may have led to the assault.

"They weren't from around here," he said. "They just came here to party and just got into a 15-second fight."

Another Bard resident, 18-year-old freshman Megan Livesay, said she went to the party at Bard, but it was calm when she left it.

After the stabbing, no one immediately called police, Kacskos said.

Instead, two people tried to take Ferguson to a hospital, but apparently they got lost.

At about 12:30 a.m., Manheim Township Police were sent to a report of stabbing victim in a vehicle on Harrisburg Pike, near Route 30. They found a victim, Ferguson, with "a serious stab wound" and assisted him until emergency medical providers arrived, said Manheim Township Police Sgt. Tom Rudzinski.

"It was quickly determined the stabbing occurred elsewhere," Rudzinski said.

The man was taken to an area hospital and the investigation was turned over to the university's police department, he said.

University police eventually were able to talk to Ferguson, who is not an MU student, Kacskos. He said his assailant was a man in his early 20s, with a medium-dark complexion, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, Kacskos said.

First reports indicated the assailant may be from the Caribbean area, according to the warning posted on campus buildings.

Kacskos said she did not know why Ferguson was on the campus,or if any students were involved in the incident.

According to court documents, Ferguson was arrested in Philadelphia in July for possessing a small amount of drugs. His case was ordered to proceed to court after a preliminary arraignment.

MU president Francine McNairy was not available to give a response to the incident early today, Kacskos said.

Kacskos said the university is "abhorred at the incident."

"We are shocked and saddened that it occurred," she added. "We would like to take this time to encourage the campus community to use the police escort service at night and to report any disturbances to university police."

Last spring, MU used its text-message notification system to notify students of a lockdown. The lockdown occurred after a student, who was later arrested without incident, threatened violence.

This summer, MU installed sirens, which also can be used to quickly notify the campus community of an emergency.


Staff writer Cindy Stauffer can be reached at cstauffer@LNPnews.com or 481-6024.