Katie Koestner, a date rape survivor and sexual assault prevention advocate whose experience helped focus attention on the issue nationwide, will tell her story to students at California State University, Fresno on Tuesday, April 27.
Koestner’s presentation, “He Said — She Said” at 7 p.m. in the Residence Dining Facility, precedes a daylong schedule of date rape awareness workshops for men and women on Wednesday, April 28.
The workshops are free and open to the public as part of Diversity Awareness Week (April 26 to 30) at Fresno State. They are coordinated by the Fresno State Women’s Resource Center and co-sponsored by several university offices, student groups, Rape Counseling Services of Fresno, Inc. and the Lutheran Campus Ministries.
“About 70 percent of college women will have experienced some sort of sexual aggression or attempted sexual assault from men they know,” said Francine Oputa, director of the Women’s Resource Center.
“It’s a very under-reported crime so we’re trying to present information that will provide prevention as well as awareness of intervention services on the campus and in the community.”
Koestner, a 1994 graduate of William and Mary in Virginia, is a peer educator and sexual assault counselor who went public with her story of date rape in 1990.
She appeared on the June 3, 1991 cover of TIME magazine and has received national attention on more than 35 news and talk shows such as NBC Nightly News, Larry King Live, and Oprah Winfrey. In 1993, Koestner completed a project with HBO, the Lifestories Docudrama, “No Visible Bruises: the Katie Koestner Story.”
The program will be co-facilitated by Brett A. Sokolow, J.D., a specialist on sexual assault who is president of Campus Outreach Services in Philadelphia. In his presentations, the audience acts as a jury before being split into single-sex breakout groups for facilitated workshops with Koestner and Sokolow, who have offered programs to students at 600 colleges, high schools, and military institutions in 47 states over the last four years.
On Wednesday, April 28, the first of three workshops, “Nuts and Bolts — The Making of a Proactive Campus Community,” will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the University Center, Rm. 200. The workshop covers sexual assault policy, protocol, and prevention.
An HBO Docudrama, “No Visible Bruises” depicting Katie Koestner’s story, will be presented at noon in University Center, Rm. 202. Individuals may bring their lunch and participate in a discussion following the video.
“What to Do … If Someone Was Raped,” a training program on how to help someone who has been assaulted, will be presented at 1:30 p.m. in the University Student Union, R n. 312.
For more information, call (559) 278-4435.
