Correction appended
Andrea Cooper came home from a Christmas Eve party at 2 a.m. on Christmas Day in 1995 to find her daughter asleep on the couch, presumably home early from her own party.
Cooper then heard Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" blasting from the speakers and, wondering why Kristin had not been wakened by the noise, realized she wasn't breathing. Then she noticed the gun in her hand.
HUB-Alumni Hall was filled with sorority members Monday night who listened to Kristin's story told from a mother's perspective. The Panhellenic Council (PHC) required that 50 percent of sorority members attend the event, PHC President Mairys Joaquin said.
Cooper's speech touched on the issues of depression, suicide, sexual assault and rape.
"I never dreamed I would lose a child to suicide," she said. "Did y'all know that suicide is the second leading killer of college students?"
Initially assuming that Kristin had committed suicide over a bad break-up with her boyfriend, Andrea Cooper learned from her daughter's journal that she had been raped by a lifeguard whom she worked with and that her boyfriend broke up with her after she told him what had happened.
Mary Anne Knapp, a clinical social worker and consultation and education specialist for the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, said 37.3 percent of Penn State students have experienced some form of sexual assault. Taylor Hoffay, a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, said she was touched by Cooper's sincerity.
"It's something that a lot of people have experienced in life and are afraid to talk about," Hoffay (freshman-finance) said. "The fact that she gave us her personal e-mail really means a lot."
This article "Mother shares suicide story" incorrectly stated information about the speech. Andrea Cooper came home from a New Year's Eve party at 2 a.m. on New Year's Day to find that her daughter had committed suicide.
