Andrea Cooper’s daughter Kristin committed suicide with a gun on New Year’s Eve of 1995, following a struggle with depression after she became a victim of acquaintance rape.
And Wednesday night, the sisters of Alpha Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta came together to bring Cooper to Penn to discuss her own experience and to raise awareness on a subject that is traditionally steeped in stigma.
Cooper said she was unaware of her daughter’s rape and subsequent depression until she discovered her suicide note. Kristin, a member of AXO at Baker University, was raped by a friend a few months before she killed herself.
According to Cooper, Kristin’s friends and sorority sisters knew about the rape, but never contacted her family or a therapy center. Even Kristin’s boyfriend at the time showed little support — he broke up with her after she told him that she had been raped.
Cooper advised rape survivors to seek out therapy to end the stigma against rape victims. In addition, she encouraged students to prepare ahead of time to help their friends. “Make sure that your friends are open to you. Be a good listener. Do not be overly protective,” she cautioned.
“Kristin didn’t die in vain if students here learn something,” she added.
Wharton sophomore and member of One in Four — Penn’s all-male sexual abuse awareness group — Max Holz said Cooper’s story was “powerful.”
“I never knew a survivor of rape, but I learned how important a support group is,” he added.
In addition to telling her story, Cooper shared more general statistics. One in four college women are victims of rape or attempted rape, she said, and 30 percent of rape victims contemplate suicide.
In light of the recent rapes at fraternities on campus over the past month, groups and individuals alike are trying raise awareness and combat the issue directly.
AXO and Tri Delta are working toward a petition to make the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania “rape designated” — a legal distinction that allows hospitals to treat victims of sexual assault by ensuring they follow certain medical and legal procedures.
In collaboration with their national philanthropy, “Women Against Domestic Abuse,” AXO also plans to host another event to raise awareness. All proceeds will be donated to victims of domestic abuse.
College senior and One In Four president Josh Pollack, who attended Cooper’s talk, said placing rape kits in hospitals is the first step in solving Penn’s rape issues.
“It’s an issue relevant to college women,” said AXO President and College senior Jenna Schwartz. “It’s powerful for the Panhellenic system to send a message across campus.”
