It’s been a week since a former Cornell University student filed a lawsuit against the university, Chi Phi fraternity, and the seven fraternity members who are accused of raping her in 2024. To provide some context on how sexual assault can affect women’s health across their lifespan, we’re replaying a conversation we had back in April with Sharon Walker Epps, CEO of the Rowan Center. Notably, Sharon talks about how today’s predators are using technology to target and further traumatize victims, an aspect of the Cornell case, wherein the survivor’s seven attackers used a social media app to brag about their actions and invite others to join in.

In addition, Sharon shares her own path from Wall Street to advocacy, shaped in part by her daughter’s experience as a survivor, and explains how sexual assault resource centers help people in the immediate aftermath of trauma and during the years of recovery that can follow. This is a hard but important conversation about sexual violence, recovery, and the community resources that can help survivors find a way forward.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

“The Cornell Rape Investigation: Five Takeaways,” Sharon Otterman, The New York Times, Oct. 1, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/nyregion/cornell-jane-doe-rape-investigation-documents.html

National Sexual Violence Resource Center, https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics/

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline, 24/7 confidential support, crisis counseling, and connection to local services across the U.S.: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673); https://www.rainn.org

The Rowan Center,a resource agency serving lower Fairfield County, Connecticut. 24/7 Hotline: 203-329-2929;
https://www.therowancenter.org

National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24/7 confidential support for anyone experiencing intimate partner violence: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233);
Text: START to 88788; https://www.thehotline.org/

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
CyberTipline to report child exploitation, online enticement, trafficking, or abuse imagery: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678);
https://report.cybertip.org;
https://www.missingkids.org

Thorn
Works to combat online child sexual exploitation: https://www.thorn.org

KidSafe HQ
Digital safety resource created by the Rowan Center to help parents protect children online: https://www.therowancenter.org

National Human Trafficking Hotline, 24/7 confidential support and reporting: 1-888-373-7888;
Text: 233733 (BEFREE); https://humantraffickinghotline.org

Connecticut Office of Victim Services, providing financial assistance to eligible crime victims: 1-800-822-8428;
https://jud.ct.gov/crimevictim/

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline support for emotional distress or mental health crisis:
Call or text 988
24/7; https://988lifeline.org

CDC: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, statistics on the frequency of sexual violence: https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/sexualviolence-brief.pdf

National Sexual Violence Resource Center: https://www.nsvrc.org/

The Grateful Garment (Go shopping for supplies to support SA survivors!): https://gratefulgarment.org/

Find Local Help Anywhere in the U.S. Remember, local rape crisis centers, domestic violence agencies, and child advocacy organizations exist in most communities. RAINN and the National Domestic Violence Hotline can connect you.