Date rape survivor speaks on campus Thursday
Katie Koestner, a national expert on student safety and teen relationship culture, visits Youngstown State University 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, to talk about the importance of Title IX and federal mandates at universities.
Koestner, who at the age of 18 was the first woman to speak out as a survivor of date rate, speaks in the Williamson Auditorium in the Williamson College of Business Administration. Her appearance is sponsored by the YSU Penhellenic Council and the Student Government Association.
Koestner, who's story was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC Nightly News, CNBC Talk Live, CNN, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, Later Today, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight and other national television programs. She is the subject of an HBO movie and has lectured at over 3000 schools in North America. Her audiences have included the incoming classes at MIT, Brown University, West Point, the US Naval Academy, Amherst College, Williams College, the top 200 officers of the Department of Defense, and the American Association of School Administrators. In 2010, the US Ambassador to India invited her to keynote and lead a 19-day campaign in India to raise awareness about Violence Against Women. In 2011, Koestner’s foundation, Take Back The Night, was chosen by the TV show, The Good Wife, as their charity of choice for their Celebrity Golf Tournament.
Most recently, the Girl Scouts of the USA selected Koetner to present for their 125th Anniversary Celebration. She has assisted the US Department of Education in developing and providing programs to women in high risk communities. Her testimony on Capitol Hill was instrumental in the passage of federal student safety legislation. In 2007, Coe College awarded her an honorary doctorate for her extensive work on student safety and public service. In 2015, the US Department of State chose Koestner to work at the United Nations with delegates from China to learn about how to combat sexual violence in China.