[honeychile]

I know too many women who have been raped, either by an acquaintance or a stranger. Personally, I would think that an acquaintance rape would be harder to handle, because not only has the woman been through a horrible ordeal, but she has to face the fact that she made a bad judgment in going out with the jerk in the first place. One of my pledge sisters was raped early in her sophmore year, by a football player she was dating. Yes, it was rape, not consensual; she also had a horrible pregnancy scare. She saw an attorney, but was advised against pressing charges. Her grades went down, and when she found a summer job, she decided not to come back to school.

The worst part is that the man who raped her is still very active in our school's community! I'm not going to say anymore, because I don't want to be sued, but I want to ask you all something: if someone told you that a friend had been raped by a certain man, would you have anything to do with him?

Statistically, one in every four women has been sexually molested or raped prior to the age of 18. Think about it: the chance of you knowing a woman who is that one in four is very good!

Kudos to Alpha Chi Omega and Tri Delta for bringing Kristin's story to light. Special hugs to her mother for raising a gentle, sensitive young lady, and being able to turn her personal crisis into a warning to all. My heart aches for the Kristins of this world.