If you are planning on participating in Fall Formal Recruitment 2025, please ensure that you are registered for either SW 301 or SW 365 through KU.
The University of Kansas Panhellenic Association will mandate New Member Education in the form either university course titled SW 301: Prevention is Possible: Taking Action Against Campus Sexual Violence OR SW 365: Preventing Sexual Violence: From Campus to the Community. Either course meets the membership requirement.
These seminars were created in conjunction with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center SAPEC) and the members of the Panhellenic Executive Board.
SW 301. Prevention is Possible: Taking Action Against Campus Sexual Violence (1 credit hour course)
Course Description:
College students experience elevated rates of sexual violence, and they also have played a pivotal role in making positive changes to campus sexual violence policies, support resources, and social norms. This course will equip students with the knowledge and tools to prevent sexual violence by creating a culture of consent, both at KU and in their future communities. Over the eight-week interactive seminar, students will learn to identify different forms of sexual violence; become familiar with campus and community support resources for survivors; and gain an understanding of research-based strategies for effective campus sexual violence prevention. Through group discussion and analysis of news articles and visual media, students will engage with topics including strategies for consent communication; the impact of misinformation and rape culture on sexual violence prevention and response; current and historical examples of student-led campus violence prevention efforts; the relationship between social identity, equity, and sexual violence; and the impact of how alcohol and other drugs impact capacity for sexual consent. By the end of the course, students will plan their own prevention strategy to address sexual violence on campus or in the community.
SW 365. Preventing Sexual Violence: From Campus to the Community (3 credit hour course)
Course Description:
This course uses a foundation of sexual violence research to address the prevention of sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and dating violence with a focus on creating a culture of consent on university campuses and in student organizations. Students will use social work and public health theoretical models to explore multiple facets of campus sexual violence, including root causes, policies, support resources, and effective interventions. The course will address the importance of consent and sex education, trauma-informed advocacy, and responsive, equitable interventions to effective sexual assault prevention efforts, as well as discussing community and institutional responses to sexual violence and the historical context for modern sexual assault prevention and response. Students will apply a public health framework to develop prevention strategies and assess risk and protective factors for sexual violence within organizations and at the community level. Through critical reflection, class discussion, and engagement with multimedia course materials, students will be expected to challenge their existing attitudes and beliefs about sexual violence and its prevention. KU Athletics, the KU Panhellenic Association, and KU IFC require first-year members to enroll in either this course or the 1-credit SW 301. This course is not open to students with credit in SW 301 or who are currently enrolled in SW 301.
Students who are required to take this course:
Individuals who participated in Fall Formal Recruitment and received a bid will have two semesters to enroll in the course: the fall semester they go through recruitment and the spring semester directly following. However, classes in the spring will be limited.
Individuals participating in Continuous Open Recruitment have two semesters to enroll in the course, these being the two semesters directly following the semester in which they accepted a bid to their respective chapter.
Scholarship Opportunities
There is a scholarship offered by the University of Kansas Panhellenic Association that covers the cost of the course that is offered each year and posted on the Panhellenic website under “Resources” and “Scholarship” when available.
Excusal and Alternative Course Option
If the subject matter of the course causes critical discomfort, students can be excused from fulfilling the course requirement. This is a “no questions asked” policy and students do not need to provide details about why they request an excusal. Additionally, students can take an alternative, trauma-informed version of the course through the KU CARE coordinator. To request excusal from the course or to learn more about the alternative course option, please contact the KU CARE coordinator at care@ku.edu.
The requirement to complete this course can be found in the Bylaws of the University of Kansas Panhellenic Association, Article III Sections 1-3.
For More Information:
Samantha Orjuela
Director of Interfraternal Relations & Member Development, University of Panhellenic Executive Board
pharelations.ku@gmail.com