Denison University will host rape awareness educator Katie Koestner to discuss "No-Yes" at 7:30 p.m. on Monday (Feb. 28) in Swasey Chapel. The talk begins with Koestner sharing the story of her experience with sexual assault as a first-year student. The second part of the program focuses on the importance of gender communication, personal responsibility and respect in creating a campus environment where sexual assault will not be tolerated. This convocation is co-sponsored by the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Student Activities Office and Student Affairs.

Koestner, after being sexually assaulted at the age of 18 on a date with a fellow student at the College of William and Mary, spoke out nationally about rape. She has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, CNN, MTV, Larry King Live, CNBC Talk Live, MSNBC Later Today, Entertainment Tonight and the cover of Time magazine's date rape issue. Articles about Koestner have been published in the Journal of Higher Education, Los Angeles Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times and The New York Times. HBO chose Koestner as the subject of its Lifestories Docudrama "No Visible Bruises: The Katie Koestner Story."

Koestner is trained as a sexual assault peer counselor and at Cornell University she founded Students Helping Others to Understand Trauma (SHOUT). She is the co-author ofSexual Assault on Campus: What Every College Needs to Know about Protecting Victims, Providing for Just Adjudication and Complying with Federal Laws, a guidebook on model campus sexual assault policies, andTotal Sexual Assault Risk Management Strategies for College. Koestner also contributed toJust Sex, an anthology on the history of the anti-sexual violence movement.

In 2001, Koestner created The Katie Koestner Initiative for a World Without Rape (TKKI), a national charity involved with raising funds for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Programs, Physical Evidence Recovery Kits, and other projects designed to achieve a world without rape. TKKI also developed "The I (nitiative) Club," a national high school peer education program on respectful relationships. Working with MIT in 2002, Koestner helped create "LifeLessons: Sexual Assault 101," an interactive CD-ROM for high school and college students and in 2003 she completed two films with award-winning Top Hat Productions titled "Please Write Back: Sexual Assault Among American's Students" and "Helping a Sexual Assault Survivor."

Koestner graduatedmagna cum laudeand Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William and Mary. She has presented at more than 1000 different colleges, high schools, military institutions, youth groups and service organizations throughout North America and has been featured at numerous fraternity, sorority, residence life, student activities and college health conferences around the country. Koestner was part of a U.S. Department of Education initiative to reach both urban students and prison populations, joining fellow presenters Tipper Gore and Bonnie Campbell. She has also presented at the annual conferences for the National Association of Independent Schools, National School Boards Association, American Association of School Administrators and the American College Personnel Association.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Denison will host rape awareness educator Katie Koestner to discuss "No-Yes"; 7:30 p.m., Monday (Feb. 28), Swasey Chapel. Free and open to the public. Call (740) 587-6394 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575