October 18, 2011

More than 150 people gathered in Jesse Auditorium on Monday night to hear Mary Jo Buttafuoco’s story of strength and courage.

In May 1992, Buttafuoco survived a gunshot to the head from her then-husband’s teenage mistress. Following this event, Buttafuoco and her family became a tabloid sensation as news outlets began retelling her story with national headlines and made-for-television movies.

Buttafuoco was invited to speak on campus by Alpha Chi Omega as a part of Domestic Violence Awareness month. Each year the sorority brings in a speaker during October to help raise awareness. Last year the women brought in Mildred Muhammad, author and ex-wife of the D.C. Sniper.

During her speech Buttafuoco said that she encourages people not to fall victim to people who are abusive in relationships.

“Nobody deserves to be manhandled, kicked, cursed at, told that they’re stupid, that they’re no good, that they’re rotten,” she said during her speech. “You’ve got to take charge of your own life. You can’t just dismiss this stuff.”

The shooting and its aftermath were only a part of the story that Buttafuoco came to tell her audience. She spoke about how a concussion she suffered in the fifth grade led her into a downward spiral of low self-esteem. This resulted in an abusive relationship with her ex-husband that ultimately led to an attack by his mistress. After the attack, Buttafuoco developed an addiction to medication.

It wasn’t until her attorney noticed that she was constantly zoned out that she decided to do something about it. He told her she never fully dealt with her situation due to the medications she was taking, she said. She said she decided to check herself into rehab.

Buttafuoco said that while in rehab she found the strength to let go of the past and forgive her attacker for what she had done to her. She said she began evaluating her own life and seeing she was important and a good person. She said she eventually built up the confidence to leave her abusive husband.

“I hope that by me telling my story, that maybe some kids will relate to some of the things I went through and some of the feelings that I felt over the years and it’ll empower them,” said Buttafuoco.

Students and faculty applauded her after her presentation.

“I think everybody has some sort of adversity in life that that person has to overcome, and her story was just really inspiring,” adjunct associate law professor Sandy Davidson said. “I do believe, for people have had a few tough knots but did not let that destroy them.”

Buttafuoco said it is a shame that domestic violence goes on in this day and age and she encourages everyone to speak out about it if they or someone they know is a victim.

“It’s hard to do by yourself, so we have a lot of resources on campus and a lot of resources in the community, so seeking help would definitely be the first step,” said Sarah Semmel, vice president of philanthropy for Alpha Chi Omega.

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