SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A young woman shared her trauma of being raped on San Diego State University's campus and says the university and justice system failed her.
Jordan Rosenquist, the SDSU student, says her goal is to raise awareness hoping that what happened to her - and the fallout afterwards, does not happen to anyone else.
Rosenquist says she was raped in her dorm room back in September. She provided CBS 8 News with a copy of her police report from SDSU PD detailing her experience.
Rosenquist said not only did she not get justice, but her attacker was also able to flee the country without being held responsible.
"There was a lot of strangulation, and I was honestly really fearful for my life because he had me in a really intense chokehold around my neck to the point where I couldn't breathe, and I thought that was going to be it," she said.
Rosenquist said she was raped by an acquaintance, an international student from Dubai, who lived in her co-ed dormitory. She also describes her experience on campus in the following weeks.
"I was known as the girl who cried rape. He played the victim by faking panic attacks," she said. "And that was disheartening to see because he was victimizing himself, making me look like the bad guy."
Rosenquist also details harassment from her attacker after the incident.
“He would scream my name through the walls. He would yell threats. He would bang stuff on the ground to create a lot of stress for me until the late hours of the morning."
Unfortunately for Rosenquist, this is not her first experience with sexual assault.
“I was sitting in on hearings and going through and writing my declarations myself - even when I was as young as 14 and 15," she said. "So I went through that process."
That is why Rosenquist says she tried to do everything she could to ensure some sense of justice this time around.
"I hadn't even taken a shower, brushed my teeth, washed my face...anything, I was just sitting in it," she said. "And I had all that evidence, witness statements, a really cohesive police report."
But when she took all her evidence to the San Diego District Attorney's office, she says she was told she needed an admission of guilt to prosecute.
"I asked him how often he gets those, and he said it's extraordinarily rare and I said, 'So you only prosecute cases with that?' And he said, 'No. But those are the ones we want,' and he implied that they want a 100 percent prosecution rate,” said Rosenquist. “The burden of proof for sexual assault cases is extremely high. I've never heard of an admission of guilt being required to prosecute something. That is not the case for other heinous crimes so why should it be the case for sexual assault?"
While Rosenquist says she did what she could to find some sense of justice, she says her attacker, who she chose not to name in our interview, continued to torment her.
"He lived in the room right above mine and would harass me every single day. And I would complain for about 3 weeks to various people in SDSU's administration and they didn’t really do anything until he moved out, disenrolled from the university and fled the country,” said Rosenquist. “He fled the country back to Dubai and he doesn't have any kind of accountability for his actions. Even if the DA did prosecute him and the charges did go through, there's no extradition agreement with the United States and Dubai so we couldn't get him back."
Now she says she is sharing her story to hopefully change the policy for reporting and prosecuting rape and hold the San Diego DA and SDSU accountable.
"I feel like SDSU should have dealt with it more swiftly and taken it a lot more seriously."
CBS 8 News reached out to San Diego State University, SDSUPD and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office for comment on this story.
The following can be attributed to the San Diego State University Police Department (UPD):
As this is an active investigation, UPD is not able to provide any details related to the case.
The following separate comment can be attributed to San Diego State University:
While the university cannot comment on an active investigation, we can provide details related to the protocol when a Title IX complaint, which includes allegations of sexual assault, is made:
The University has designated Title IX administrators to provide students with assistance and full support, and to monitor and oversee overall compliance with laws and policies related to sexual violence. Once a complaint is filed, a Title IX investigator is assigned to the case and immediately connected with the student who filed the complaint. It is important to note that the Title IX process is separate from a police investigation. In addition to the complaint process, administrators ensure that the individual is connected immediately with university support services.
Campus Victim Advocate:
The Sexual Assault Victim Advocate is a confidential resource. Any details relating to a report of sexual violence will not be reported to the university without the individual’s consent.
In addition to the above support services, Title IX coordinators also work with each individual on their specific needs during the process, which include academic accommodations, accommodations to move one’s residential location, or safety and security accommodations, such as no contact orders.
Counseling and Psychological Services:
Counseling & Psychological Services (C&PS) offers confidential support for students impacted by sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, sexual harassment and other sexual violence-related experiences. Therapists are available to talk on the phone or to meet in person with survivors to help them understand their options for support.
Also, for your awareness regarding investigation of alleged perpetrators:
California State University system’s Executive Order 1096 indicates that allegations of sexual misconduct or dating and domestic violence by a student can result in a severe sanction, including suspension or expulsion.
The San Diego District Attorney’s Office said, “this case is under review for potential charges.”
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