Man pretended to be a Stanford student, squatted in dorms for nearly a year

An Alabama man posed as a Stanford University student, squatting in several campus dorms and associating with the student community for nearly a year, according to university officials and reports.

William Curry, a 2021 high school grad from Birmingham, was kicked off campus Thursday after he allegedly stole a television from the Crothers Hall student residence, where he had been squatting in the basement for several weeks, The Stanford Daily reported.

The university previously removed him from campus several times, but Curry kept coming back and was able to blend in and access several dormitories, the student newspaper reported.

Curry, who posed as a sophomore studying pre-med, lived in at least five student residence halls from Fall 2021 up until his removal last week, students told the newspaper.

Students said the man had broken into dorm rooms and harassed at least one student, according to the publication.

A university spokesperson told the Statesman Journal that Curry was first reported to campus security in December 2021. Administrators issued him multiple stay-away letters, but none of them deterred the squatter.

Stanford officials were unable to locate him until last Thursday when they removed him from campus, the spokesperson Dee Mostofi said.

The Alabama native was able to bypass university protocols in place to prevent intruders from entering student housing.

“The unique aspects of Mr. Curry’s persistence and ability to integrate himself with our student community has made it clear that gaps exist in those protocols,” Mostofi said. “We will immediately undertake a review to ensure our procedures do not allow for this type of incident to happen again.”

Curry reportedly concocted at least two tales. In one, he claimed he was recruited as a high school junior to Stanford men’s track and field team. In another, he said he was a transfer student from Duke.

He had created a Tinder profile that listed him as a Stanford class of 2025 pre-med student and dated at least one Stanford student who said he harassed her following their breakup.

“It seemed that he was a friend of the football players. So, anytime we saw him we let him in because it was like he knew people,” one student told The Daily.