 "Photo: Alayna Dunkerly <i> The Daily Gamecock</i>")
When Andrea Cooper began her presentation, Kristin’s Story, Wednesday night, it was hard to believe she would be speaking about the rape and suicide of her only daughter.
She began with a humorous explanation for why she couldn’t speak when she was originally scheduled to visit USC last spring, comparing a stomach illness to morning sickness.
“But don’t get pregnant yet, use those condoms.” Cooper said with a laugh.
Her sense of humor continued throughout her presentation, despite the intensity of her story.
Cooper has been traveling to schools nationwide for 11 years to share the tragic story of her daughter, Kristin, and inform men and women of how to deal with sexual assault.
Cooper’s visit was sponsored by, the Sorority Council, SH&VP and Share as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“The main reason is to bring about domestic violence awareness,” said Hillary Bracht, a third-year criminal justice student who is in Alpha Chi Omega and also a Share Peer leader.
Cooper focused mainly on the issue of acquaintance rape and the psychological effects that it has on victims.
“I think most moms just teach their daughters about stranger rape,” Cooper said. “But you can be raped by someone near and dear to you.”
Cooper spoke of how acquaintance rape sparked the depression that led to her daughter’s suicide. She described how she found her daughter’s body on New Year’s Eve, then went on to discuss how she recovered and learned the reason for the suicide.
“I never dreamed I would lose a child to suicide,” Cooper said, adding that suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students. “It was the absolute worst feeling a mother could feel. I thought it was because her boyfriend broke up with her.”
Through reading her daughter’s journals and talking to Kristin’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters, Cooper learned that Kristin was raped by a friend after a party. Cooper said the rape, and her boyfriend’s lack of support following it, caused Kristin’s severe depression that led to her suicide.
Cooper continued by presenting the audience with facts about depression and sexual assault and tips for how to deal with these issues.
“There were a lot of statistics that were just incredible,” said Brianna Booth, a second-year business student who is also in Alpha Chi Omega.
As domestic violence awareness is the sorority’s philanthropy, Booth said that she had some background knowledge in the area but learned a lot from Cooper’s presentation.
Cooper said that over 50 percent of college women have experienced sexual aggression from an acquaintance, and one in four college women has faced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. Cooper also addressed the psychological effects that often result from rape.
“Rape is all about power and humiliation and control,” she said. “Many women become promiscuous afterward to regain control.”
To help someone who has been raped, Cooper said students should listen without judging, give comfort and be patient.
“For a survivor of sexual assault or molestation, it’s something you will never forget,” Cooper said. “But you can recover.”
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