KNOXVILLE – Andrea Cooper’s daughter committed suicide on New Year’s Eve 1995 after she was raped by an acquaintance. Cooper will be on campus to tell her daughter’s story on Sept. 29.
“Kristin’s Story: A Story of Acquaintance Rape and Depression” is told by Cooper in order to raise rape awareness of college students everywhere.
The UT chapters of Alpha Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta will sponsor this rape education program, which will be held at 7 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Cooper’s daughter Kristin was a Baker University student and member of Alpha Chi Omega. Andrea Cooper, a member of Delta Delta Delta and a graduate of Florida State University, has shared her daughter’s story at more than 300 campuses and conventions over the past 10 years.
The intent of the program is to make college students aware of the often unspoken concerns surrounding acquaintance rape, depression and suicide.
UT offers several programs to help students who are struggling with mental health issues, and the UT Police Department offers self-defense classes.
Representatives from the Counseling Center will be on hand to pass out information about their services and VolAware, a mental health awareness campaign on campus.
UTPD will have information on Rape Aggression Defense (RAD), a self-defense program comprised of effective tactics that help enable survival during an attack. You also can sign up for RAD on UTPD’s Web site at http://www.utpolice.org or by calling 974-4674.
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Contact:
Beth Gladden, UT media relations, (865) 974-9008, beth.gladden@tennessee.edu
Rachel Estes, Delta Delta Delta, (423) 506-8913, restes1@utk.edu