Tucked away in the shady grove of trees on Hello Walk, Katy Benoit’s bench is placed outside the Administration Building gently greeting students on their ins and outs at the university. Memorializing Benoit, the bench was dedicated to her in 2012 with the inscription “Katy Benoit: In memory of Katy’s journey, her care for others, her willingness to speak up, and her courage to make a difference.”
Last Sunday, students, faculty, friends and family gathered to celebrate the life of Katy Benoit.
This year marks the 10 year anniversary of Benoit’s passing. As a decade has gone by, loved ones and Alpha Gamma Delta members remember Benoit as the caring, outspoken individual she was.
“Katy Benoit was a former student, a graduate of this institution and an Alpha Gamma Delta member,” Blaine Eckles, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, said. “Who was killed tragically 10 years ago today, by a person she had been in intimate relationship with.”
During the memorial, Bill Wharton played Benoit’s favorite tunes.
Wharton, a cellist, bassist, music instructor and retired Lionel Hampton School of Music faculty was once Benoit’s instructor. Wharton started instructing Benoit when she was in the fifth grade and had watched her grow as a person and musician.
“Katy was like a bright light, whenever she came into the room she sparkled,” Wharton said.
During their lessons together, Wharton said that Benoit found it important to have a conversation, talk about how life was going and how she felt.
“In the middle of the lesson if she got off track, or was going somewhere she wasn’t supposed to go I start saying, Katy, Katy, Katy,” Wharton said. “And she called her mom and said, Mom, I had a good lesson today, Dr. Wharton didn’t have to once say Katy, Katy, Katy.”
Her family attended the commencement and her brother, Andy Benoit spoke on her behalf. Sharing many stories about her, the audience got an idea of her kindness and charm. Andy said that he hasn’t felt like a decade has gone by, but like she was just here yesterday.
Sisters from Alpha Gamma Delta showed their respects for their lost sister, and Julia Vantis, a member of the sorority spoke.
Along with members at Alpha Gamma Delta, numerous fraternity members showed their condolences. Standing with one another, the brothers showed their support for Benoit and Alpha Gamma Delta.
For those who don’t know, Benoit was lost by the assault of a university professor. Brave enough to speak up about sexual harassment she endured.
In honor of Benoit, the university has devoted the month of September to be Katy Benoit Campus Safety Awareness Month.
“Katy Benoit Campus Safety Awareness Month (includes) a lot of educational programs about campus safety for students on campus,” Eckles said. “Before, it was called Campus Safety Awareness Month. We renamed it a couple years ago to the Katy Benoit Campus Safety Awareness Month (after) I talked with the parents and families about that at that time so that they were aware we were doing. They were very much in support of that happening.”
During Katy Benoit Campus Safety Awareness Month, the university provides events such as Campus Safety Resource Fair, Green Dot Bystander Intervention Workshop, Katy Benoit Campus Safety Keynote, Campus Safety and Lighting Walk and much more.
“Relationship violence happens on a regular basis unfortunately and violence against women in particular is an ongoing challenge,” Eckles said. “It’s important to keep her name alive because that was someone who tragically lost her life, that was a member of our Vandel family, she was a member of our Greek community.”
Other resources on campus include Green Dot, I Got your Back, Katy Benoit Safety Form and Violence Against Women Grant.
“We use the lessons learned from her life and her tragic death as educational springboards to help engage students in important conversations about what they can do,” Eckles said. “And not just those that are victims of violence but also those that are friends of folks to learn how to reach out, connect and engage and get help. More than anything so that so that we can hopefully address proactively, those kinds of actions and avoid the tragic end that that happened to Katy.”
Emily Pearce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce