In an effort to combat the prevalence of sexual assault on campus, the Greek community has been holding chapter workshops with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center and campus organizations to inform fraternities and sororities about sexual assault and discuss ways to prevent it.
Aimee Nimeh, SAPAC assistant director for education and training, said there are no statistics regarding sexual assaults at the University and within the Greek community. However, according to the Department of Justice, 10.3 percent of sexual assaults take place in fraternity houses across the country. In addition, nearly 60 percent of sexual assaults occur in a victim’s living quarters.
Nimeh said one-in-five students will be a victim of a completed or attempted sexual assault during his or her time at a university.
Nimeh added that, with those statistics in mind, many members of the Greek community are involved in raising sexual assault awareness and prevention and have the power to do so given the number of members living in each Greek chapter.
“Every community still has learning that they can do regarding sexual assault issues since everybody on campus is at high risk of either being assaulted or knowing someone who has been,” Nimeh said. “The Greek community is unique in the sense of their connections and ability to reach out to a large number of students.”
She added that SAPAC works closely with the Interfraternity Council — the governing body for a large portion of the fraternities on campus — to put on a men’s activism program that is offered to all new IFC members. The workshop discusses sexual assault, partner violence and how men can be proactive in preventing these issues.
Engineering junior George Schick, IFC vice president of programming, wrote in an e-mail interview that the main focus of the workshop is to acclimate new members to the responsibilities involved in being part of the Greek community — including promoting safety at parties.
“An important aspect of this program is our emphasis on a responsible attitude toward the use of alcohol and toward the well-being of students at this university,” Schick wrote. “In addition, many of our chapters choose to implement educational programming on the chapter level. These programs demonstrate a commitment by Greek organizations to constantly improve the knowledge and character of their members.”
He cited some chapter programs that host officers from the Ann Arbor Police Department and student presenters from organizations like SAPAC.
Mary Beth Seiler, director of Greek Life, said the Panhellenic Association — the governing body for most sororities on campus — hasn’t had any community-wide programs in more than a year since most of the programs are held at a chapter level.
“It’s a topic that’s obviously very sensitive,” Seiler said. “And there are some topics that might be more effective in a smaller setting.”
However, Seiler said Panhel is planning a self-defense program called You Can Defend Yourself that will happen in the next few weeks. The program will consist of a few hours of community-wide defense training in addition to workshops with individual chapters.
Self-defense program instructor Katy Mattingly, University alum and author of the book “Self-Defense: Steps to Survival,” will direct the workshop. Mattingly plans to teach the attendants how to physically defend themselves from an attack through simple techniques, recognition of warning signs and trust in one’s instincts.
Mattingly, who has been teaching personal safety since 1995, said the three main risk factors for being a victim of sexual violence are being female, aged 16 to 24 years old and being a person who dates or hooks up with men.
“A lot of people who meet those three characteristics attend U of M, and a lot of them are women who live in the Greek community,” she said. “However, sexual violence is a problem in all campuses and in all communities. It’s not just a problem at fraternity parties, and unfortunately sometimes the Greek community gets an undeserving reputation.”
Mattingly said sororities are the most common group to approach her for a class — noting that because they’re all female environments and in the Greek community, they are at a higher risk for being a target of sexual assault.
“One idea is that women that live in all-women housing like sororities have an experience that a lot of women don’t have unless they go to an all-women’s college,” she said. “Another possibility is because they know they are more targeted since they are in the Greek community so there’s a higher awareness among them.”
Engineering sophomore Erin Rocci, vice president of risk management for Delta Delta Delta, said every new member is required to go to a SAPAC meeting as part of the pledge process for all Panhel members, which allows them to learn about SAPAC and what it offers students.
Rocci also organizes a few workshops, which specifically deal with sexual assault prevention and overall awareness, for her house throughout the year.
She said this semester Tri Delt will have a speaker come to talk to the members about healthy relationships. In addition, she is also helping to plan a wellness week, which will be dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles, personal safety and healthy eating.