Greek2Greek focused on sex

This week's speaker delves into healthy relationships.

By Katy Bergen

Published Sept. 23, 2008

While Andrea Mosby-Jones led the audience through the "Steps of Intimacy," students laughed as 14 of their peers, holding signs labeled with various intimate actions, attempted to decide whether eye contact should come before oral sex.

Mosby-Jones was the second speaker new members of the Greek system packed Jesse Auditorium to see as part of the new campus program Greek2Greek. The speakers are from Campuspeak, a nationwide organization that provides public speakers to universities.

The point is to educate new Greek members on the topics of sexual health, substance abuse and diversity through facilitation sessions that are guided by members of the Greek communities, said Bobby Thrasher, vice president of membership development for the Interfraternity Council. Thrasher, along with Lauren Burgmeier, vice president of membership education for the Panhellenic Association, was responsible for planning the new program.

Greek2Greek replaces what was formerly known as New Greek Education. The mandatory meetings occur every Monday for an hour over six weeks. The program has been spiced up this year with public speakers, like Mosby-Jones, who spoke to the audience about healthy relationships.

Greek2Greek will involve three public speakers and three smaller group sessions.

"There was an inability to organize," Burgmeier said about last year. "We had to create something new to make sure everyone was accounted for. NGE felt like something people had to do and we wanted to Greek2Greek to feel like something people wanted to do."

In the past, Thrasher said, the same facilitators met with the same students every week and touched upon a variety of topics. This year about 100 upperclassmen Greek facilitators, who were selected through an application and interview process, chose to focus on either sexual health, diversity or substance abuse. The facilitators were trained by Sexual Health Advocates Peer Education representatives, the Wellness Resource Center and the Office of Multicultural Affairs Diversity Peer Educators in order to completely emerge themselves in their area of focus.

"The facilitators became experts on one topic rather than knowledgeable on all three," Thrasher said. "Hopefully the new members will more out of it, and the programs will be more effective."

So far, feedback has been positive.

"Parts of it are informative about things that need to be addressed," freshman Chelsea Harlan said. "It doesn't sugarcoat anything. It's honest about the stereotypes and realities of college."