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The pillar of Support

The ISC supports and welcomes sexual assault survivors

In times of trial and tribulation, it is up to students to support each other and unite as a community. From being voices of student leadership and collaborating on the most effective risk management, to being a shoulder to lean on, the women of the Inter­-Sorority Council wholeheartedly embrace our council’s values, especially our all­-encompassing pillar of Support. It is not only our duty to support our sisters, but also to support every woman on grounds, especially first­-year women who may be lacking that community of support in their first semester at UVa. It is up to us to clarify and educate when practices in our council are questioned or misinterpreted.

Therefore, we would like to address our community’s recruitment process, and the role it plays in the experience of first-­year women during the fall semester. As a community, we participate in a deferred recruitment process that creates the necessity for a responsible contact policy between first-­year and upperclass women in the fall semester. The responsible contact policy is in place to encourage first­-year and upperclass women to form natural and genuine relationships in circumstances without the added pressures of alcohol. Adhering to the contact policy does not prevent a sorority woman from intervening in any way in a dangerous situation. Our community encourages safety and support among our members and beyond. While it is commonplace to openly engage in dialogue and share resources among our chapters concerning potentially risky or challenging situations, this information is in no way withheld or prevented from being distributed or discussed with first­-year women through our contact policy. Many of our women, through their involvement with organizations such as One Less, Sexual Assault Resource Agency, or the Women’s Center support this open dialogue throughout the community, Greek or non-­Greek. While the ISC’s name does not overtly appear on many first semester events meant to educate and increase awareness among first­-years about the risk of sexual assault, we still play an active role in these events. In the future, we hope to demonstrate our support for these programs beyond the individual participation of our members.

With regards to the assertion that the opaque nature of the membership recruitment process somehow implies women who are survivors of sexual assault will not be welcome to openly discuss their experience or even join our community, the ISC states that this is unequivocally untrue. Each chapter is a private organization that evaluates potential new members based on their own standards. However, as the first line of support and guidance for the potential new members (PNMs), the ISC in conjunction with our Panhellenic Counselors (members of each chapter who have disaffiliated for the purpose of serving as an unbiased guides for PNMs), emphasizes the importance of values in the recruitment process. PNMs should evaluate the five pillars of the ISC for guidance in their decision to join our community, and each chapters’ unique values in finding their home during recruitment, a process we expect to be replicated on the side of the chapters. Panhellenic Counselors become friends and confidants to their PNMs. They are trained in various aspects of counseling dealing with situations that may present themselves during the recruitment process, and this year, will be presented with information on sexual assault and Survivor Support Network training to openly discuss with PNMs in their meetings. In addition, bystander intervention and survivor support network training will be provided to all new members within the first week of joining our community.

The foundation guiding all of this is that by joining a sorority, you are joining a community that cares about one another deeply and supports each other through thick and thin. Sororities are about making women better women, not putting them in uncomfortable or dangerous situations. As always, the ISC wants to be part of the solution, and we will continue to work towards that.

Sincerely,

Julia Pedrick

Inter­Sorority Council President

Patricia Lee Menges

Inter­Sorority Council Vice President of Recruitment

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