Student a Suspect in Fraternity Party Rape

A fraternity party at which a 19-year-old woman met a man who she said later raped her apparently violated university guidelines regarding so-called “open” parties and could result in disciplinary action against Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, a San Diego State University spokesman said Friday.

San Diego Police Sgt. Cheryl Meyers said an SDSU student is considered the “prime suspect” in the case. Police described the suspect only as being between 18 and 21 years old. It is not known whether he is a member of the fraternity, Meyers said.

“This man was seen in the victim’s company during the party,” she said. “Though he is our prime suspect, we are continuing the investigation and questioning as many people as we can who were at the party,” held March 6.

The San Diego County district attorney’s office expects to receive the Police Department’s investigative report sometime next week, and at that time criminal charges will be considered, district attorney’s spokeswoman Linda Miller said.

A university hearing on the possible violations of its party guidelines is scheduled for next Friday, university spokesman Rick Moore said.

It is up to the five-member Interfraternity Council Judicial Board to determine if Alpha Tau Omega had a party at which it admitted non-students and allowed minors to drink alcohol, Moore said.

“The university regulations say the IFC adviser must be informed of a party 15 days in advance and that those attending the party must have an invitation if it starts after 8 p.m. and alcohol is being served,” Moore said. “They did not give the IFC adviser 15 days’ advance notice, which would have meant the IFC had a monitor there who would have observed noise levels and drinking, and controlled access to the party.

“The university’s major concern is that under-age people should not have access to alcohol. This is an ethical and legal problem for the fraternity. Also, non-SDSU students apparently attended the party, obviously because there was no one there to check ID’s.”

The victim, a Grossmont College student, told police she met the man at the party, and after talking for awhile, “he asked her to go with him to get something out of his car,” Sgt. Meyers said.

The victim told police she went with the man to an underground parking garage of an apartment complex a few houses down from the fraternity house, in the 5500 block of Lindo Paseo Drive, according to Meyers.

“At this point he became very assertive, and during the course of the exchange she was pushed down to the ground and he sexually assaulted her,” Meyers said. “A man who lived in the apartments above came down to the garage and found the woman obviously upset and in disarray. He took her upstairs and from there she contacted police.”

Alpha Tau Omega President Victor Sack said he is aware of the two investigations but declined further comment, except to say the fraternity is cooperating as much as possible with the police and the university.

This was the seventh reported rape on or near the SDSU campus in the last six months, and the third involving a fraternity.

The regulations governing fraternity parties were adopted in the wake of a December, 1985, incident involving an 18-year-old sorority pledge, who said she was given spiked punch and sexually assaulted by several Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity members during a party.