Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Alpha Chi Omega Philanthropy
The University of Oklahoma’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority held a three-day-long philanthropy event from Sept. 21-23 that consisted of various activities each day, including a speech by Andrea Cooper, the mother of a domestic violence victim.
Andrea Cooper, the speaker of the event that was entitled ‘Kristin’s Story,’ was very enthusiastic when she spoke and seemed fairly light-hearted, despite the seriousness of the subject and the pain of her particular circumstances. She kept the audience intrigued as she emphasized important matters in serious tones as well as lighting up the mood at times with jokes and sarcastic comments.
Her speech was about her daughter, Kristin, and the events she went through leading up to her death. Kristin’s boyfriend had broken up with her after she told him that she had been raped, which led her to depression and her eventual suicide. Ms. Cooper says that ‘how the first person you tell reacts determines your healing.’
Ms. Cooper now travels and speaks to students all across the country, and she says her goal in doing so is to emphasize the importance of going to counseling. She says that 1-in-4 college women have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives, and 90% of incidents are alcohol-related. She also explains that one of the things she has learned the most by traveling and speaking is how many men have also been sexually assaulted. “My hopes are that women who are raped understand they are not alone,” she said. She says she wants students to know how to support a friend and be a good listener, so no one is embarrassed to ask for help.
“Humor is part of my personality, it is how I survive,” she said when asked if speaking to students makes her situation easier. “The first two years I got real choked up and nervous, but I have definitely been healing and have improved so much.”
Alpha Chi’s philanthropy also hosted other activities prior to ‘Kristin’s Story’ for students to participate in during the three days. The activities began Wednesday, September 21 as Alpha Chi fed pie to everyone who showed up at the traditional ‘Have a Pie at Alpha Chi.’ There was also the event entitled ‘Game Day’, which is the competition of fraternities in football, volleyball and tug-of-war. Participants were also able to make their own specialized burritos in the event ‘Build Your Own Burrito.’ The philanthropy ended Friday with ‘Walk a Mile,’ which is the humorous event of guys (each representing a fraternity) racing each other around South Greek dressed as women and wearing high heels. ‘Walk a Mile’ is a play on words opposing domestic violence against women, referring to ‘walking a mile in her shoes.’ The detailed schedule was as follows:
Wed. Sept. 21: Have a Pie at Alpha Chi (at Alpha Chi) 6p.m.-8p.m.
Thurs. Sept. 22: Game Day (on ATO’s lawn) 6 - 8p.m.; Build Your Own Burrito (at Alpha Chi) 11 p.m.–1 a.m.
Fri. Sept. 23: Walk a Mile (on Alpha Chi’s lawn) 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
All proceeds of the philanthropy are supporting Women Against Domestic Violence and directly benefiting the YWCA in Oklahoma City and the Norman Women’s Outreach Center.
Andrea Cooper, the speaker of the event that was entitled ‘Kristin’s Story,’ was very enthusiastic when she spoke and seemed fairly light-hearted, despite the seriousness of the subject and the pain of her particular circumstances. She kept the audience intrigued as she emphasized important matters in serious tones as well as lighting up the mood at times with jokes and sarcastic comments.
Her speech was about her daughter, Kristin, and the events she went through leading up to her death. Kristin’s boyfriend had broken up with her after she told him that she had been raped, which led her to depression and her eventual suicide. Ms. Cooper says that ‘how the first person you tell reacts determines your healing.’
Ms. Cooper now travels and speaks to students all across the country, and she says her goal in doing so is to emphasize the importance of going to counseling. She says that 1-in-4 college women have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives, and 90% of incidents are alcohol-related. She also explains that one of the things she has learned the most by traveling and speaking is how many men have also been sexually assaulted. “My hopes are that women who are raped understand they are not alone,” she said. She says she wants students to know how to support a friend and be a good listener, so no one is embarrassed to ask for help.
“Humor is part of my personality, it is how I survive,” she said when asked if speaking to students makes her situation easier. “The first two years I got real choked up and nervous, but I have definitely been healing and have improved so much.”
Alpha Chi’s philanthropy also hosted other activities prior to ‘Kristin’s Story’ for students to participate in during the three days. The activities began Wednesday, September 21 as Alpha Chi fed pie to everyone who showed up at the traditional ‘Have a Pie at Alpha Chi.’ There was also the event entitled ‘Game Day’, which is the competition of fraternities in football, volleyball and tug-of-war. Participants were also able to make their own specialized burritos in the event ‘Build Your Own Burrito.’ The philanthropy ended Friday with ‘Walk a Mile,’ which is the humorous event of guys (each representing a fraternity) racing each other around South Greek dressed as women and wearing high heels. ‘Walk a Mile’ is a play on words opposing domestic violence against women, referring to ‘walking a mile in her shoes.’ The detailed schedule was as follows:
Wed. Sept. 21: Have a Pie at Alpha Chi (at Alpha Chi) 6p.m.-8p.m.
Thurs. Sept. 22: Game Day (on ATO’s lawn) 6 - 8p.m.; Build Your Own Burrito (at Alpha Chi) 11 p.m.–1 a.m.
Fri. Sept. 23: Walk a Mile (on Alpha Chi’s lawn) 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
All proceeds of the philanthropy are supporting Women Against Domestic Violence and directly benefiting the YWCA in Oklahoma City and the Norman Women’s Outreach Center.
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