On Sept. 24 around 2:15 a.m., a University senior was raped by a man she did not know. She wants to share her story to raise awareness about sexual assault happening to college-age women.
This is what she remembers: She was alone leaving The Jungle, a downtown nightclub, when two men in their early 20s followed her to her car. One offered her a ride home.
She started the engine, but one man held the door open. The man then forcibly laid the student across the front seat of the car and raped her.
The second man watched. The attacker ordered the student to move to the backseat, but she refused.
Fifteen to 20 minutes later, a middle-aged man “appeared out of nowhere” and asked her if everything was OK.
The attacker backed away.
With tears streaming, the student mouthed the words “No. Everything is not OK. Please get me help” through the windshield.
The man then approached the attacker and the student was able to escape.
Moments later, crying hysterically, the student called Womenspace, a domestic violence shelter, and was soon connected to a 911 dispatcher.
She filed a report with Eugene police that morning.
Excruciating physical pain made the student go to the emergency room for a rape examination later that day. She brought an advocate from the Sexual Assault Support Services, who provided emotional support while the student waited seven “grueling” hours to be examined.
“If I didn’t have an advocate with me, I probably wouldn’t have been that patient,” she said. “All I wanted to do was shower – shower and go to sleep.”
The student believes her attacker is the same man involved in the Sept. 26 rape on Highway 99 in which a rapist dressed as a police officer. She said her attacker looked like a sketch created by police after the Sept. 26 rape.
“When I watched the news, I thought they were describing my perpetrator,” she said.
However, the police do not believe the two cases are linked, said Eugene Police Detective Jeff Donaca, who is investigating the case.
The student said her perpetrator was a 22- to 25-year-old white male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a thin-to-medium build and dark brown hair.
One in four college women are raped or somebody attempts to rape them, and 90 percent of these cases are not reported, according to a 1995 study published by The Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Network.
Women should always be aware of their surroundings and know who is around them, Donaca said.
Also, they should try to be with other people and make sure they are in well-lit areas, he said. The student’s advice to other victims of sexual assault is to understand that it is never the victim’s fault, to allow time to heal and to feel comfortable about seeking help.
Most victims of sexual assault do not report it because of fear of not
being believed, self-blame, shame or because the perpetrator can be someone the victim knows and loves, said Maria Paladino, director of programs and services for SASS.
Knowledge that the judicial system doesn’t always do a good job of holding sexual assault perpetrators accountable also discourages victims from coming forward, Paladino said.
Victims of assault should seek medical care, whether they want to file a report or not, and find someone they trust to talk to, she said. Victims can speak with sexual assault advocates and call hotlines, such as SASS, Paladino said.
The student said she is not letting her attack interfere with her classes or plan to graduate on time.
“Rape is about power,” she said. “My revenge is being successful.”
Contact the crime, health and safety reporter at [email protected]