College is a once in a lifetime experience, in which students all over the globe are exposed to a lot of new things. Some students who have been blessed with ability of being extremely athletic, play sports. Other Students have 4.0 GPA’s and live in the library. Some become submerged in the party scene, wake up first thing in the morning and go to the liquor store. They usually don’t last long.
We all know these various kinds of people, and most likely associate with them every day. It is easy to make assumptions that these people are cookie cutter individuals who all think, act, and look the same. This is an unfortunate mistake. It is like the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In many cases that saying is true.
Katie Koestner came to Green Mountain College to share her story of how she was raped in college by an individual she thought was “Mr. Right.” Koestner described herself as an innocent girl who got good grades, was active with extra curricular activities, and loved to play sports. She met a lot of interesting people at college, but there was one person who she would never forget. He was a handsome man who played soccer, and also was active in school. He was anything but a rapist to young Koestner. At first she was shy when they interacted, but once the ice was broken, they became very close.
The two began spending lots of time with each other, and she thought they were a good match. Koestner liked him so much that she planned a special night with those cool glow-in-the-dark stars, and a special mix CD.
He came over and they began dancing under the plastic stars, laughing, singing, and having a good time. Things started to heat up, and before they knew it they were making out. Koestner enjoyed the kissing, describing it as feeling “intimate;” kissing the boy of her dreams. She stated she felt really comfortable around this person.
The tide quickly turned when the guy was fed up with all the foreplay. He wanted to go all the way. Eventually, he forced himself on top of the helpless Koestner, taking advantage of her. He got what he wanted, and Koestner was left with a dark memory that she would never be able to forget.
Koestner was deeply hurt by her rape, and she says it took a lot of personal strength to be open about such an experience to the public. She now travels to hundreds of schools speaking about her personal experience in hope that her talk will raise awareness about date rape and cause prevention.
Koestner’s speech at Green Mountain College was co- sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the college athletic department, along with six other organizations on campus.
This was a mandatory event for male and female athletes, with hope that everyone would take some valuable knowledge away from Koestner’s experience.
Freshman softball player, Tahani Maharaj stated, “It is important to know that she has moved on from what happened, and that she does not let it control her life.” Maharaj continued, “This was beneficial to the female athletes because it shows how strong females can be.”
Overall, this event was informative to everyone, and helped get the message across that rape does happen.
People need to realize that they could be placed in the same position as Katie Koestner, whether they attend a school with 750 students or 75,000 students.
The most important thing to take away from Koestner’s story is that rape is a pressing topic on college campuses. It is important that women are being responsible and men are being respectful towards women.
About Christian Sapovits
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