Kelly Addington does not wake up every morning asking God why she was raped in college.
She asks why it still happens to people.
"It's a very serious matter," Addington said Monday night in Cardinal Hall. "We need to feel comfortable talking about it."
Addington and Rebecca Tieder of Campuspeak spoke in a presentation titled "Let's Talk About It! A New Program about Sexual Assault and Acquaintance Rape." Campuspeak, a Denver-based agency, represents college campus speakers from all over the country, according to its Web site. Speakers focus on topics including sexual assault, diversity awareness, body image and women's health.
Monday's event kicked off Sexual Assault Awareness week, which is sponsored by several organizations including the Panhellenic Council, Housing and Residence Life and Health Education.
Maggie Reed, post-doctoral intern at the Counseling Center, said she hopes Monday's speech made students more aware of the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, she said.
"Sexual assault is not spoken about enough -- it's just out there," she said. "We just want to let more people know about this and let survivors know they are not alone."
The United States has the highest recorded rape rate, with 1,820 women assaulted every day, Addington said.
One in three women and one in six men will be sexually assaulted during their lifetimes and one in four women will be sexually assaulted during her college career, Addington said. Most victims are sexually assaulted by someone they know, she said.
Although Addington became a statistic during her college career, she made the choice to become a survivor as well, she said. Her story began when she met a "kind, caring, sweet guy," she said. They went out one Saturday night so she could introduce him to her friends. She drank, danced and had a good time, she said.
At 1 a.m., the caring guy drove her to her apartment.
"We pulled into the driveway, and I knew I couldn't make it to the door," Addington said. "I felt really disoriented -- totally out of whack, but I made it into the apartment... and found my pajamas. Then I lay down and wanted to go to sleep, and he lay down next to me."
The next thing Addington remembered was waking up the next morning, when the caring guy was leaving and thanking her for a good time.
A couple of weeks later, however, Addington began having nightmares. While she couldn't remember them in detail, the only thing she did remember was that she felt trapped.
"I woke up from the most horrific nightmare I had in my entire life -- I was sweating, screaming and crying uncontrollably," she said. "Then I put two and two together. It had been five to six weeks that my period was late."
When Addington later bought a pregnancy test, it came back positive, she said.
That's when she turned to Tieder, her best friend.
"I want you to think how I felt when I heard the news," Tieder said. "Kelly has always been there for me, and part of me felt like I failed her. We spent more time looking into apartments we wanted to rent or cars we wanted to buy than we did looking at who we went out with. "
After Addington discovered she was pregnant, she called her assaulter, who said he was not ready to be a father. She said she did not press charges because she could not remember anything that happened to her the night she was assaulted. A few weeks later, she miscarried.
To avoid the same challenges Addington faced, students need to think about the consequences of their actions, Tieder said. Students, especially women, need to remember that date rape drugs such as Rohypnol are still prevalent on college campuses, she said.
"We're not telling you not to party if that's your lifestyle and you're comfortable with it. Just do it a little smarter," Tieder said.
In addition to speaking with close family members and friends, assault victims can always get help from the Counseling Center, she said.
"Survivors will have many different feelings -- fear, guilt, anger, loss of control, loss of self," she said. "I wasn't sure what I should be feeling, but there is help out there."
Junior Sarah Aldridge, vice president of risk reduction and education for the Panhellenic Council, said Monday's speech was eye-opening.
"It helps people understand that sexual assault can happen to them or to someone they care about. Especially in the greek community, it can happen to one of our sisters," she said. "You have to make people aware there is a problem out there."
Sexual Assault Awareness Week continues from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Pineshelf Room with a lecture and workshop titled "Reclaiming the Body: Mind, Body and Spirit Recovering from Sexual Assault." An interactive workshop titled "Mixed Drinks and Mixed Signals: How Does Alcohol Affect Perceptions of Sexual Intent?" will take place at 8 p.m. in the Pineshelf Room.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
