Cornell Perspectives: Preventing sexual assault on campus

In a letter to the Cornell community, the Greek Tri-Council Executive Board stresses that any form of sexual assault will not be tolerated on campus and that there are multiple initiatives to prevent such incidents:

We firmly believe that all members of the Cornell Community must hold themselves to the highest standards and the values that we embody as Cornellians. The Cornell community does not tolerate sexual assault in any way, shape or form. This behavior is completely unacceptable, and we raise our voices to speak against sexual assault.

Our goal as the Greek Tri-Council – which includes the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and the Multicultural Greek Letter Council – is to provide a safe environment for brothers, sisters, friends, faculty and the rest of the Cornell and greater Ithaca community. To raise awareness and prevent sexual assault, the Greek Tri-Council has such initiatives and programming events as:

  • Wingman 101: We work with Gannett Health Services to teach students about being an active member in preventing sexual assaults through intrapersonal techniques.
  • Sexual Health Awareness Group: A group of students and faculty from various communities across campus discuss campus issues, including awareness of sexual assault.
  • Cayuga’s Watchers: We’ve partnered with Cayuga’s Watchers, a student-run organization that utilizes nonconfrontational techniques to limit excessive drinking, unwanted sexual advances and destruction of property. Watchers are trained in peer-to-peer intervention and start the conversation about what it means to be an active bystander in a variety of contexts, including party settings.
  • Delta Series: We facilitated Delta Series, a lecture series given to all new members of the Greek community, in which one session was specifically focused on educating new members about sexual assault.

In addition, the Tri-Council works to raise awareness through our social media No More Campaign against sexual assault and domestic violence. We work tirelessly to educate our members and continue to improve sexual assault prevention by promoting accountability and responsibility. We as a community refuse to allow behavior such as this and will not condone sexual assault.

Despite these efforts, we acknowledge we can always improve efforts to further prevent sexual assault. As Greeks, we hope to lead the charge in maintaining and improving a safe Cornell campus.

If you or anyone you know is the victim of sexual assault or harassment, please seek assistance immediately through the campus programs SHARE, CAPS or EARS.

— Cameron Pritchett ’15
Interfraternity Council President

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