Andrea Cooper will bring her daughter's story to the University of Iowa campus when she shares "Kristin's Story: A Story of Acquaintance Rape and Depression" at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 10, in the Second Floor Ballroom of the Iowa Memorial Union.
The event is free and open to the public, and speakers from the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, the Men's Anti-Violence Council in the Women's Resource and Action Center, University Counseling Service, and the Crisis Center of Johnson County will be on hand after Cooper's presentation to share services, support, and resources offered locally.
Kristin's Story describes a young woman's acquaintance rape and subsequent suicide in 1995 as told by her mother, Andrea Cooper. Her narrative shares the deeply moving account of her daughter, Kristin Cooper, who was a Baker University student and member of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity.
"I am sharing this because I hope by telling Kristin's story that other lives will be saved, other young women will not be victims of acquaintance rape, and that those suffering from depression, for any reason, will get help," says Cooper.
"We wanted to bring Andrea to our campus and community because one in four women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetimes, and it's often by someone they know and trust."
—Jessica Fatla, Alpha Chi Omega
In 1998, Andrea, a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity, decided to share Kristin's story with Greek communities across the country. The response was overwhelming, and a new rape education program was born. Since its inception, Cooper has been sharing Kristin's Story with young women and men at more than 300 campuses and conferences worldwide.
"We wanted to bring Andrea to our campus and community because one in four women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetimes, and it's often by someone they know and trust," says Jessica Fatla, UI Alpha Chi Omega event coordinator and a UI student pursuing a degree in human physiology with a psychology minor from Naperville, Ill.
She adds that organizers hope both women and men will attend the presentation to learn how to be proactive in preventing sexual assaults from happening in the first place, while also learning how to best support those who have experienced sexual assault.
"I believe it is very important to raise awareness of domestic violence on campus and in the surrounding community," Fatla says. "Raising awareness of this will help those women know that they are not alone in their struggles and that help is available. It is also important to raise awareness because the more people know and understand about the different forms of domestic violence, hopefully the number of women being put in these situations will decrease."
The program seeks to raise awareness and provide resources for acquaintance/date rape education. For more information or special accommodations to attend, contact Fatla at 630-399-9900 or at jessica-fatla@uiowa.edu.
An Alpha Chi Omega Foundation grant is funding the presentation with additional sponsorship from the Panhellenic Council and Delta Delta Delta. The UI Men's Anti-Violence Council, the UI Women's Resource and Action Center, the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, and University Counseling Service are also supporting the proactive, co-educational program.
For more information on Kristin's Story, visit www.kristinsstory.com.
For more information about the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation, visit www.alphachiomega.org.
RVAP offers free and confidential counseling by state-certified sexual assault counselors. For more information, visit www.uiowa.edu/~rvap/.