Date-rape activist to discuss higher education response to sexual assault

As part of Rape Awareness Week at Bates, date-rape victim and sexual assault activist Katie Koestner will discuss her experience with date-rape March 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Chase Hall Lounge. The public is invited to attend free of charge.

A trained peer educator and sexual assault counselor, Koestner appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in 1991 not long after going public with her own story of date-rape. Outraged by what she perceived to be the inadequate response from her college, the College of William and Mary, Koestner took her case to the media and received national attention, including interviews with national newspapers, networks and talk shows. In 1993, Koestner completed the HBO production No Visible Bruises: The Katie Koestner Story.

A 1994 magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the College of William and Mary, Koestner has presented her acclaimed program No/Yes to hundreds of thousands students at more than 400 institutions in 46 states. A question-and-answer session follows her presentation. Her activities as an advocate have extended to working for passage of federal sexual assault legislation, including meetings with congressional members and President George Bush. A published author on campus sexual violence, Koestner has addressed more than 15 national sexual assault conferences and served as a consultant to schools on the revision of their policies.

For more information, call the Student Activities Office at 207-786-6305.