What is GUARD?
Each semester, members of the Illinois fraternity and sorority community are invited to come together in a facilitated workshop called GUARD. This interactive program educates students about creating a safe campus which values consent, supports survivors of sexual assault, and intervenes in potentially dangerous situations.
What will the program be about?
Fraternity men and sorority women will become advocates within their chapters and community in supporting survivors and preventing sexual assault. Men and women will meet separately to discuss various topics with trained peer leaders, who work as peer facilitators and are members of the fraternity/sorority community. Discussion topics include understanding sexual misconduct, gender norms, hookup culture, consent, supporting survivors, and resources. All students will come together at the end of the day to learn about bystander intervention—how they can unite as one fraternity/sorority community and stand guard to keep the Illinois campus safe, respectful, and caring for one another.
Why work with fraternities and sororities?
Fraternity and sorority members are important leaders on campus, and their leadership skills and values have the power to create positive change and prevent social problems like sexual violence. GUARD encourages men to utilize fraternity values and brotherhood to create a safer campus and prevent sexual violence. GUARD also recognizes that the sisterhood present in a sorority chapter is unique and a strength for creating support for survivors of sexual assault on campus. When fraternity and sorority members are educated on this issue and serve as advocates and educators, they can make a difference in preventing assaults and helping survivors obtain resources they need quickly and in a more supportive environment.
What’s the history of the program?
GUARD is sponsored by the Women’s Resources Center, Fraternity & Sorority Affairs, Black Greek Council, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, and United Greek Council. The program has been developed out of the groundwork laid by Sexual Assault Liaison (SAL) and Fraternity Peer Rape Education (FPREP), which were academic courses for fraternity and sorority members on these topics. In fall 2014, a version of the seminar for sorority women premiered, and the first official GUARD seminar for both fraternities and sororities took place in spring 2015. The new seminar format engages a greater number of chapter members in a condensed format, creating an opportunity for participants to get involved in or facilitate other programs like FYCARE, ICARE, and It’s On Us. GUARD and other WRC sexual assault prevention programming won awards from the Moms Association and Dads Association in 2015.
How do I participate in GUARD?
GUARD is offered on multiple occasions throughout the academic year. Chapters are expected to have one initiated member per every 25 members of their total chapter size attend GUARD. Registration is included within the weekly FSA newsletter sent to chapter presidents and opens 3-4 weeks prior to each session.
For more information, contact the following staff members:
Nora Peterson, Associate Director, Prevention for the Women’s Resources Center
nepeters@illinois.edu
(217) 333-3137
Andrew Hohn, Associate Director for Fraternity & Sorority Affairs
ahohn@illinois.edu
(217) 333-7062
Adam Gentry, Assistant Director for Fraternity & Sorority Affairs
agent8@illinois.edu
(217) 333-7062
How can I become a workshop facilitator?
Currently, GUARD facilitators are trained facilitators who are a part of the fraternity/sorority community on campus and also lead workshops for the FYCARE program. Applications for the GUARD peer facilitator role are posted during each Fall semester via the FSA weekly newsletter and distributed via email outreach.