Half of IFC frats have completed One Act training

The Interfraternity Council passed an amendment one year ago this month requiring all new members to complete a University-approved sexual assault and violence prevention training program.

Thirteen of the 24 IFC fraternities at UNC have completed the required training, and more than 257 fraternity members have been certified through 16 One Act training sessions.

New pledges at IFC fraternities are expected to complete the same training after initiation.

“The amendment was passed unanimously, and all the presidents thought it was a good idea,” IFC President Peter Diaz said.

“Everyone thinks this is an important issue to learn about and everyone treats the training with seriousness and respect.”

IFC fraternities typically train through One Act, a student-led organization that collaborates with Student Wellness staff to train and educate students about sexual assault, the necessity of consent and how bystanders can intervene to prevent interpersonal violence. There is a specific One Act for Greeks program, tailored for members of Greek organizations.

“Mostly it’s training to make sure that students are prepared to work with students who have been through any kind of violence,” said Ion Outterbridge, assistant director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and Community Involvement.

“It’s violence prevention for domestic violence, relationship violence, things of that nature. It’s going real good.”

In addition to the fraternities, all of the Panhellenic sororities have completed One Act training.

“That was our goal — to have fraternities sexual assault trained. We encourage them to go to One Act for Greeks, which is a campus program,” Diaz said. “But some of these organizations have national requirements, and they may have to do a different program or a certain program that their national chapters have done.”

If a fraternity opts to complete sexual assault and prevention training through a program that isn’t One Act, the IFC must approve of the alternate training.

“If a chapter doesn’t do One Act for Greeks, we look into the program they’re doing, and if we think it’s appropriate, we authorize it, and if not, we make them do more,” Diaz said.

Diaz said new pledges from each IFC fraternity will have plenty of time to attend a One Act training. Trainings will occur throughout the school year.

“If we all start One Act, we can change the culture on campus and seriously address violence,” said Julia Stroup, co-chairperson for the steering committee and peer educator for One Act, in an email.

Diaz said IFC fraternities are now required to complete the training yearly — a change from the original two-year period.

He said the presidents of each fraternity within the IFC voted the amendment into the constitution on their own, without university involvement.

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