As Andrea Cooper began to describe the life story of her daughter, Kristen, her voice was composed and bright, as she shared details about Kristen’s childhood, middle school days and short-lived college career.

Cooper even used mild humor to describe her daughter’s painful adolescent years, saying she was unhappy like many other teenagers, ‘One day popular and the next day having a zit, worried that no one will ask you out.’

Then her descriptions switched to an hour-by-hour account of New Year’s Day in 1996, and with that, an unmistakable pain began to reveal itself in her voice.

‘We thought she was going to a party during Christmas break with friends, but we found out she never went,’ Cooper said in a subdued tone. ‘She was home early – around 2 a.m., and the music was blasting from the family room … She looked peaceful lying there … but her head was right next to the speaker, so I asked her, ‘The music is loud, isn’t it?” Kristen gave no verbal response, Cooper said, and when she looked for a pulse, she found a gun in her hand rather than a sign of life.

Cooper shared information about her daughter’s suicide and rape last night for ‘Kristen’s Story,’ a speech sponsored by the Panhellenic Association, Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Chi Omega. Including many greek organizations in its sold-out audience at Goldstein Auditorium, the event included personal accounts from Cooper, rape counseling in pamphlets and a brief overview of the R.A.P.E. Center – Rape: Advocacy, Prevention and Education – before the speech began.

‘I never dreamed I would lose a child to suicide,’ Cooper said early in her speech. Later on, she said, ‘Everybody asked why she (committed suicide), and I said it was because her boyfriend broke up with her … but in a spiral notebook by her bedside she had writing about what it felt like to be raped.’

Cooper assumed a soothing, motherly tone throughout the entire speech, offering important advice about what rape victims and ‘secondary victims’ – friends and family connected to the victim – should do if someone is raped or displays symptoms of contemplating suicide.

As a secondary victim-turned rape counselor, Cooper used PowerPoint slides to communicate important statistics related to sexual assault and suicide, repeatedly advising that those aware of such activity should seek professional help.

‘Please promise me that if someone says they’re going to kill themselves you have to go to someone you trust,’ Cooper said. ‘Rape is a crime of the heart of the victim, and a crime of convenience for the perpetrator.’

Among the most alarming facts she presented was more than 50 percent of female college students have experienced sexual aggression from an acquaintance, and 46 percent of survivors of date rape never report the incident. Cooper made a point to recognize the importance of male attendance in the audience, since many of them may take important roles in helping the victims of rape and suicide.

Out of the 22 colleges that applied for a grant to bring Cooper to them, Syracuse University was chosen because a large amount of potential students would be affected by the event, as well as several impressive letters sent by the Panhellenic Council, Cooper said.

‘We wanted something that would benefit campus, and we wanted someone locally on campus to affect all greek women,’ said Lisa McAllister, the developmental programming chair of the Panhellenic council and a senior policy study major.

The efforts of the council to bring Cooper to Syracuse did not go unnoticed by students in attendance, many of whom noted that they were changed by the counseling she had to offer.

‘With her daughter’s story, she was able to relate to us,’ said Rachel Krumholtz, a junior broadcast journalism major. ‘I’m in Tri-Delt, and we’re always looking to do things that are important to share with the greek community and everyone else.’

As a previous member of Delta Delta Delta, Cooper pointed out that the prevalence of date rape and greek life percentages are ‘much higher’ than the outside world; the event held special significance for the groups listening to the words of Andrea Cooper.

Cooper’s speech in its entirety relied on messages with undertones of guidance and strength on the part of those involved with every rape and suicide incident. With each vital point came another way to ensure the survival of those victimized by these crises.

For Andrew Webster, a sophomore engineering major, his reason for attending the event came in the form of a simple yet indelible message.

‘If someone tells you they got raped, tell someone,’ he said.

Published on September 27, 2005 at 12:00 pm