Trigger warning: This article contains topics that may be sensitive to some audiences, including discussions of sexual assault and suicide.
This past Wednesday in Bissinger, sexual assault survivor Brenda Tracy came to Stevens for her talk, “An Evening with Brenda Tracy, a College Sexual Assault Survivor.” She talked about her story and her mission of preventing other women from going through the trauma she experienced almost two decades ago. She currently runs the nonprofit Set The Expectation to pursue her mission of raising awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Twenty-one years ago, Tracy was sexually assaulted by four men, two of whom were Oregon State football players. Despite being reluctant, she was peer pressured into drinking, and passed out due to the drink being extremely strong. Unfortunately, her assault went on for several hours, many of which she was unconscious for.
The events of what happened that night forever traumatized Tracy. She states that “it [trauma] doesn’t ever go away,” and upon leaving the apartment that night, she felt shame, embarrassment, and disgust. Like many victims often do, she blamed herself for what happened. Her community immediately turned on her, blaming her as opposed to blaming the football players who attacked her. She started to receive death threats, including many that were racist toward her two half-black sons.
Tracy also began to contemplate suicide, but she found a reason to push through when she met her nurse Jenny at the hospital following her assault. She immediately saw a future as a nurse, and Tracy decided then that she would fight on and pursue that goal.
She went on to spend the next 16 years as a registered nurse, hoping that time would heal her wounds, as her mother had told her it would. Due to circumstances, the football players from the university received minor punishment. Tracy explained that she was primarily angry at the coach of the football team, Mike Riley, who said that the players were “good guys who made a wrong choice.” During that period of her life as a nurse, she lived what she called a “double life.” On the outside, she presented herself as content, but behind the scenes, she was dealing with depression, PTSD, and a borderline eating disorder, and she would frequently raise her voice at her two sons.
After 16 years of being a nurse, Tracy coincidentally met a reporter at Oregon State University who was interested in writing about her story. Though hesitant at first, she decided to take up the offer. This time, when people heard her story through the report, they believed her. Many other victims of assault reached out to her. Additionally, the current President of Oregon State University, Edward J. Ray, issued a public apology to Tracy.
After people began to believe her story, Tracy began to work as a citizen lobbyist and was able to amend a law that extended the number of years for offenders to be convicted. She has since been traveling all over the country and speaking to audiences, primarily college athletes. Tracy also spoke with Coach Riley, who apologized for what he said. “There’s two ways to apologize […] I’m sorry, and I’m sorry, but…” She was relieved that Coach Riley only said “I’m sorry.”
Tracy speaks to college athletes, and she stresses to the men she speaks to that they are the solution, not the problem, to this issue. She believes that if men stand up and get involved, we can work towards a culture shift. She started the “Set The Expectation” campaign in April 2017 to recognize that coaches should tell athletes that they cannot participate in athletics if they harm someone.
Among others, some calls to action include signing the pledge of the campaign and raising awareness. The pledge of the campaign explains to athletes that it’s a privilege to play your sport, and you lose the right if you harm someone. Raising awareness and showing support is also important, and can be done by wearing a teal and purple ribbon, pasting stickers on football helmets, and spreading #SetTheExpectation on social media. Tracy urges people to spread awareness during the fall sports season, also known as the “red zone” — the time of the year where most cases of sexual assault occur in athletics. However, sports continue throughout the year, so Tracy stresses that we need to “keep the conversation at the forefront” in order for change to happen.
Please be aware of reporting procedures for Title IX: If you experience or become aware of an occurrence of an incident covered under Stevens policy on gender-based and sexual misconduct, you are encouraged to report the incident to the Title IX Coordinators and/or Campus Police.
Title IX Coordinator
Xhiljola Ruci, Director of Community Standards and Title IX Coordinator
Phone: 201.216.3383
Email: xruci@stevens.edu
Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Maria Ouckama, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources
Phone: 201.216.5122
Email: Maria.Ouckama@stevens.edu
Campus Police
Phone: 201.216.3911
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