Carleton University students say they can't believe the school is blaming a female student for not taking the proper precautions when she was brutally sexually assaulted while working late at a science lab on campus.

The woman, who is now 25 years old, was attacked when a man entered the campus building and sexually assaulted her in August 2007. He was never arrested by police.

Now, the woman -- who is still recovering from psychological wounds -- is suing the university for half a million dollars for failing to provide enough security.

However, the school argues the lawsuit should be dismissed because the woman did not take appropriate precautions when she decided to work late at night.

"It saddens me to see our institution view the serious and disturbing issue of sexual assault in such a dismissive manner," said Erik Halliwell, president of the Carleton University Students Association.

"It is ludicrous to suggest that this assault was in any way caused by the actions of the victim herself, the institution has a responsibility to ensure that Carleton students have a safe environment in which to learn and work."

The president of the school's Graduate Students' Association says the university's shift of blame also discourages students from reporting any future assaults to authorities.

"The university should consider what kind of message it is sending to students. Their response discourages women who have been assaulted from reporting the crime to campus officials or the police if they believe that they will be blamed for the incident," Kimalee Phillip said in a prepared statement.

Since the assault, Carleton University has invested $1.6 million to increase security and safety on campus. New measures include more security cameras and security patrols.

Although some students admit the measures were a reaction to a bad situation, they say they feel safer because of it.

"They've actually made quite a few changes since previous years. There's more sort of panic buttons and paths are more well-lit," said one male student.

"Since the last time when there was a rape here, so many things have happened. And I realize that, so I really appreciate that," added a female student.