The Student Activities Office at Denison University is sponsoring an appearance by Andrea Cooper, mother of a young woman who committed suicide after experiencing acquaintance rape and depression. Cooper will speak at 8 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 5) in Swasey Chapel to tell "Kristin's Story." The program is free and open to the public.

Kristin Cooper was a Baker University (Kansas) student. She was 20 years old when she committed suicide on New Year's Eve 1995. Her mother's presentation speaks to the troubling statistics about rape in college age students and suicide among people under the age of 30. She provides signs that can be used to help identify someone who may be contemplating suicide (decreased energy or fatigue, a sleeping or eating problem, a feeling of guilt, and excessive crying) and encourages victims to seek counseling. Cooper indicates that acquaintance rape is the most under-reported violent crime in the nation and that studies indicate that 46 percent of victims never tell anyone.

The Alpha Chi Omega Foundation, Kristin's sorority, and the Delta Delta Delta Foundation, Andrea's sorority, are the national sponsors of this proactive, co-educational rape education program.

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