Jessica Onsurez, Las Cruces Sun-News news director, discusses reporting on a settlement NMSU made with a student, a roundtable discussion about sexual assault, and ongoing research on the issue. Here is a transcript of her conversation with KC Counts:
KC Counts:
Let's begin, Jessica, with the story that inspired a whole lot that came after, and that's the story of an alleged sexual assault on campus. Where did you begin with your reporting on that story?
Jessica Onsurez:
This story really came to our attention in August of this year. We were informed that New Mexico State University had reached a settlement in a lawsuit that had been filed by a female student. That lawsuit was where we began to dig into the question about student safety on campus, sexual assault and sexual harassment reports, and really trying to understand what is it that the university is doing to keep students safe? And if a sexual assault or sexual harassment does occur on campus, what protocols it has in place to follow up on those reports. So we began there, and this lawsuit was filed in 2023. A female student alleged that she was raped by a male student late one evening inside of her dorm room. And she had reported the rape to campus police and with the expectation that the university and campus police would then follow up, investigate the case, and that it would reach some conclusion. So that's really where this story began, looking into the allegations made in this lawsuit.
KC Counts:
And that came down to what happened after that, right?
Jessica Onsurez:
That is correct. So the lawsuit was filed on, we're going to call her Jane Doe - we don't name victims of sexual assault - on Jane Doe's behalf by an Albuquerque firm. And in this lawsuit, the allegations were that post-reporting the rape, the university failed to protect the student in myriad ways, beginning with allowing the student who was accused of the assault to remain on campus and in class. Now, it's important to note that student shared classes with thealleged victim. Beyond that, the allegations also included notes about how the campus police handled the investigation, rather that they failed to act effectively and in a timely manner to investigate the allegations. It said that the university also didn't take complaints and concerns from the victim seriously, that they allowed the alleged perpetrator to be in the same buildings at the same time as the victim, that they didn't take steps to keep a, what we would call a restraining order, in layman's terms, right, to keep a restraining order in place that had been issued in this case. and really overall that there was a lack - an alleged lack of interest in really resolving this case.
KC Counts:
Now, what has the university said in response to your questions?
Jessica Onsurez:
Well, we asked the questions, but I think it's important to note that this lawsuit is a civil lawsuit. Now, there was a criminal case against the alleged perpetrator, and it's important to note also that the charges against him were brought to a jury, and a jury found him not guilty on all of those charges. So there's two different aspects to that. There's the criminal case, which ultimately ended up in the hands of a jury who said, you know, we don't see enough evidence here to move forward. And then there's the civil lawsuit in which the university says we agree to this settlement. We understand the concerns that are there. And as part of this settlement, we will, one, make a payout to the victim, but #2, begin to enact what we call consent training, enact it across the board, and make it a requirement for all students. Now, the university has told us, the Sun-News, and the reporters who are working on this story, that they do everything possible to protect students, including sexual harassment training, sexual assault training, they provide security on campus, that they have empowered the university police force to investigate in whichever way they feel is best when these allegations come to light. So essentially, the university has said, we do what we must to keep our students safe. And sometimes, as this case proves, that's just not always enough.
KC Counts:
Your reporting on this case and its aftermath involved student reporters from NMSU's Roundup. And I'd like for you to tell us a little bit about their involvement.
Jessica Onsurez:
Sure. So it didn't seem right to tackle a story about New Mexico State University's campus without involving the students who actually live and work there and are there every day. And that includes the students who are student journalists at the Roundup. Now, we partnered with them to do some of this reporting. The Sun-News took the larger portion talking about the lawsuit, but the Elizabeth Ann Andrews, who's the editor of the Roundup, did some really great reporting looking at the data. So these are the numbers coming from the university themselves about sexual assault on campus. And what they found was fairly interesting. Now, they pulled data all the way back to 2018 from a number of different sources to compare the data. And what they found was that there have been five cases of criminal sexual penetration reported, that's rape, in 2024. And then in the period that we were looking at for 2025, which is January through June, there had been three cases. Now, overall, there have been 40 cases or 40 reports of rape between 2018 and 2024, and six reports of what we call criminal sexual contact, so inappropriate touching. But the big number that we looked at, that really caught my attention, that we talked about in this reporting, is 55. That is 55% of these cases remain open, remain unsolved without any type of closure for the victims and for those who are accused of these crimes.
KC Counts:
So we go from the roundup to a roundtable on Thursday to continue this conversation.
Jessica Onsurez:
Right. When we talk about these subjects, it's important to have a student voice in them. And as we spoke to people on campus, and as we started gathering data and talking to the lawyers who represented the victim in this one settlement case, we realized that there were a lot of voices missing. And we realized too, and it's obvious, right, if you're a member of the public, this is a sensitive subject. You don't just go around asking somebody, do you feel safe on campus? Have you ever been raped? But it's a topic that is so important to talk about, especially when we're talking about the safety of the thousands of students who are on NMSU's campus. And so, as a result of this reporting, we thought that it would be appropriate to host a roundtable and talk about our reporting and ask students and the public to join us in that conversation. So we will be hosting a roundtable on November 20th, that's Thursday, from 11:30 A.m. to 1:30 P.m. at Zuhl Library, the third floor. The public and students are welcome; it's free. We have panelists from the university and a counselor from La Piñon, which does great work on campus and in the Las Cruces community. And then we'll also have Elizabeth Ann Andrews, who is the editor of the Roundup, on this panel to talk about the reporting, to talk about the outcome, to talk about the work that the university is doing, primarily a move toward consent training among the student population, and really get feedback from those in attendance about how they feel about what kind of job the university is doing in protecting students.
KC Counts:
To the individual case that kind of inspired this ongoing conversation, this time around, it's a conversation that kind of ebbs and flows, right, over the years based on what's happening. The individual, ultimately found innocent. So the young woman who made the claim and filed the lawsuit, you know, what do their lives look like now? And have you been able to talk to either one?
Jessica Onsurez:
We've not. So the victim in this case really, I mean, she was young when it happened. She's still a student is my understanding. And so Trying to keep life as normal as possible, there's nothing wrong with that. What I did take away from interviewing the law firm that represented her in this is her dedication to really getting the university to commit to consent training, right? Training that focuses on what is yes and what is no. And when you're in those situations, how to comply with a person's yes or no. Now, I'll put a caveat in saying that the university had a goal of completing 100% of this training, which is online for students, by the end of this year. They've pushed that deadline out to the end of the school year, citing some issues with technology to get to the 100% goal. So there's that. Now, if you are a person who's been accused of rape or assault, It's not gonna, it's not an easy time. I'm sure that this young man who has been put through the allegations, the charges, the judicial system, the trial, and ultimately found innocent, has had a rough time of it, too. Now the university said, told the Sun-News, that he was put on leave from the school, so he's no longer attending the university, is our understanding. But what his life is like now, we don't really know.
KC Counts:
All right. And also, the conversation isn't ending after the forum on Thursday. You're doing some ongoing research, right?
Jessica Onsurez:
That is correct. So we've got a period of time during the Thursday event to make room for a question-and-answer session with their panelists. But an important part of this is continuing the conversation, as you pointed out. So in partnership with the New Mexico Local News Fund and the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative and the Roundup at NMSU, we have a survey out for students to complete. Now, it's not very long. It's a couple of questions. And our goal is to really get a feel for what student concerns are, how safe they feel on campus. if ever they've had conversations publicly, privately, with the university staff or administrators, about sexual assault and harassment on campus. But this is an opportunity to gather a little bit more data and expand that conversation. And I think that the public can expect both the Sun-News and the Roundup to keep an eye on the topic and continue to do reporting throughout the school year.
KC Counts:
Now, is that survey available online for someone who wants to take part?
Jessica Onsurez:
Yes, the survey is available online. They can visit the Las Cruces Sun-News website at lcsun-news.com or the Roundup online. And for those who want quick access to it, they are welcome to jump on our social media accounts and find the QR code for the survey and complete it. It's anonymous, and we'd really appreciate as much interaction with that survey as we can get.
KC Counts:
Is there a certain demographic you're looking for?
Jessica Onsurez:
Not at all. Male, female students, what we understand from the data is that women and those in the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to report when they've become victims of sexual assault or harassment or aggression than men on campus. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen to that demographic as well. So you've got a voice. We are asking you to use it, most especially if you've experienced or had a friend or a family member who has experienced such violence. And I'd really like to take a moment to thank everyone who's helped put this together. The Roundup, of course, but we've also partnered with Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative and the New Mexico Local News Fund and New Mexico State University and La Piñon to pull this conversation together; again, it's essential to have. This is not the first time that this particular university, and indeed any university across our state, has had to tackle issues about sexual assault, sexual aggression, and sexual harassment on campus. So it's an important conversation. We really want to hear from students, parents, and the public on it.
KC Counts:
Jessica Onsurez, news director at the Las Cruces Sun-News, we thank you so much for sharing this time to talk about this important subject, and thanks for your reporting on it.
Jessica Onsurez:
I appreciate you. Thank you.
