Dina Marie's dorm is wallpapered by Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones posters and photographs of her friends and family smiling. When her boyfriend from France calls, Dina Marie's face lights up and her voice switches from English to French. Dina Marie looks like a happy UW-Madison student.
That's because she is—Dina Marie doesn't play the part of victim.
""Even with everything that has happened, it hasn't changed the fact that I am who I am,"" Dina Marie said.
She's majoring in biology and French, studies for hours each day, but still finds time to watch ""Grey's Anatomy."" Her favorite song is ""Blowin' in the Wind."" She could be sitting next to you in chemistry class.
But while most students will be gearing up for their finals this spring, Dina Marie will be preparing herself to attend her assaulter's trial on April 24.
Dina Marie most likely won't have to testify at the trial but wants to attend. Seeing her attacker sentenced would bring her a sense of closure, she said.
Only three months after the assault, Dina Marie has somehow found the strength to forgive.
""I want him to go to prison, but at the same time, I can forgive him for it. I want to see him in prison for the rest of his life, but I don't wish harm on him just because he harmed me,"" she said.
""I know it's not my fault. I know it's his fault,"" she added. ""It was a horrible thing that he did, but at the same time you have to forgive that person, even for horrible things.""
Dina Marie feels sympathy for the man's children.
""How horrible would it be to know that your father is in prison because he raped two girls? I couldn't imagine,"" she said.
Starting her second semester, Dina Marie is excited about the life ahead of her. She is determined to keep living her life and not take any blame for what was done to her.
""I couldn't have prevented it ... it shouldn't have happened,"" Dina Marie said. ""He made the decision to break the law and hurt somebody... whether or not I was walking by myself doesn't make his actions in any way right. He deserves to go to jail for it, but it doesn't mean I have to suffer for it.""
Yet, Dina Marie knows the events of Nov. 29 changed her life.
Dina Marie said she is ""more wary about when I come home, how I come home or where I am going out. But I never would choose to stay home because I am afraid to go out."" Dina Marie volunteers at the Red Cross and Meriter hospital and likes to go out with her friends.
A sense of awareness among students is an issue Dina Marie still questions, especially when thinking about the night of her rape.
""I really hope by the time that he was forcing me to cross the street that there was truly nobody there to see me, and that kids just didn't care to look around or call the police,"" she said. ""I hope that anyone at UW-Madison has enough consciousness that if they ever see something bad happen, they would call the police and intervene.""
When Dina Marie walks on campus, she is irritated by the number of people walking alone and has even approached some about their safety.
""I think the biggest thing is just being in numbers. You have no idea how many girls I see walking alone with their iPods on, their earmuffs over them,"" Dina Marie said. ""You have no idea what's going on in the world around you, you have no idea who is behind you, who is around you, who is watching you, you should be in a group. It's a lot harder to attack a group.""
Besides walking with others, Dina Marie suggested that students ""take the five freaking extra minutes to wait for the bus.""
But, Dina Marie said, students also need to be more aware of the general campus climate.
Students are completely oblivious to the crimes on and near campus, she said, adding that students have a ""that could never happen to me"" mentality and don't think about or worry about their safety.
Dina Marie recounted how the initial panic and support that her rape prompted gradually dwindled after two weeks.
""People forget about it and then don't worry about it,"" Dina Marie said. ""That's what makes it such an issue. I don't want it to happen to anyone else.""
