Safe Sisters is a Panhellenic group that will train representatives from each IU sorority chapter Sunday through the Sexual Assault Crisis service on campus in order to serve as a resource for sisters on the issue of sexual assault.
Safe Sisters strives to be a resource for sexual assault victims as well as educators of prevention practices, said Olivia Koufos, vice president of personal development for the Panhellenic Association.
The group is composed of representatives from each chapter who receive training from SACS and attend monthly meetings through Safe Sisters. These representatives are usually sophomores who demonstrate sensitivity, approachability and problem-solving skills, Koufos said.
Interest in being a Safe Sisters representative has grown substantially within the past year, Director of Safe Sisters Margaret Hensley said. This year a limit of four members per chapter has been implemented because of the demand.
Members of Safe Sisters will also bring a presentation back to their chapters after their initial training to further educate their sisters and make themselves available as a resource, Hensley said.
The SACS training focuses on sexual assault specifically within the greek community, addressing ?issues such as pair parties, social standing and how to respond if a sexual assault is reported within the chapter, said Ann Skirvin, Sexual Assault Crisis Service ?counselor.
“We’re wanting to teach them to see their own power in those situations and value themselves and their participation in events and understand that that is valued by the men, as well,” Skirvin said.
The training lasts approximately three to four hours and specifies avoiding certain theme parties that may put sorority sisters at risk based on the theme attire recommended, Skirvin said.
“We give them skills to be assertive and give them agency to ask questions and think through what’s best for the women in their sorority and value that as much or more than what they’re being asked to do by the men in the fraternities that are inviting them to attend parties,” Skirvin said.
Safe Sisters also addresses public perceptions about sorority women, Koufos said.
For example, they will look at the perception of sorority women on social media through Facebook groups such as “Slap a Bitch Sorority,” “I Hate Sluts” and “Sorostitutes, Give Them Beer.”
In addition to online examples, SACS also discusses the conceptual spectrum of sexual harassment from street harassment to acts of sexual violence, Skirvin said. These situations often strike a chord with the participants, Koufos said.
“I think in some sense it’s appalling (to them) that this stuff does happen and that we need to make a change,” Koufos said. “I feel like after they go through the training, it leaves the Safe Sisters feeling really empowered to go back to their chapters and help their members really fight through these situations and help defend them.”
The implications of Title IX will also be addressed this semester, Skirvin said.
“We’ll be asking them what their impressions are of the climate on campus,” Skirvin said. “What they think can be done in their own organizations and in the greek community at large to improve and make safer party practices for those who choose to attend parties. We’re always challenging them to be thinking, ‘How can things ?get better?’”
This year, Safe Sisters plans to utilize campus resources and reach out to groups such as the Protective Order Project, Crimson Corps, Student Ethics and Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault, Koufos said.
The group hopes not only to expand throughout all 22 Panhellenic chapters but to have a presence on campus, as well. During Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, Safe Sisters hopes to host weekly events to educate students, Koufos said.
“I would like to see Safe Sisters continue to go down the path that it has been to be supportive and strong and taken seriously, as well as all Panhellenic groups fight for training and education for the greek community as a whole,” Koufos said.
