This year, Taylor Nichols, Education and Outreach Manager - Gender Equity at the Women’s Center, is working with fourth-year student Nick Chu on The Rugby Project, a program he co-founded to educate members of Greek organizations about sexual harm prevention.

Chu was inspired to take action after a close friend of his experienced an assault during the spring of their first year. He started his work as a research and outreach intern at Student Health & Wellness. Chu had been giving FOA (Fraternal Organization Agreement) presentations at different fraternities for a couple of years when he realized that students were more engaged and enthusiastic about learning the material when it was being shared with them by someone they knew.

“When I went to my own chapter with the guys that knew me and knew that this was something I really cared about, they locked in and learned the information a lot better and started to really engage with the content in a way that I wasn't seeing at other houses,” Chu said.

He started The Rugby Project in 2023 with his friend and then-IFC President Joe Kratz. The Rugby Project aims to increase engagement with sexual harm prevention by educating at least one member of each Greek organization about sexual harm prevention and knowledge of resources, so that those students may serve as educational aids and advocates for their community. Chu and Kratz also worked together on IFC bylaw revisions to establish the position of Sexual Harm Prevention Coordinator, a new executive role within IFC leadership that Chu currently holds. Chu and Kratz’s collaboration to cement this role into the IFC’s bylaws ensures that in the future other student leaders will take up the role Chu is currently pioneering.

To get involved in The Rugby Project, students take a course (EDHS 3240) offered each spring at UVA where they gain the valuable skills needed to support their peers and join staff or experienced student presenters to provide a familiar face and help members of their chapter engage more with the content of required FOAs. Chu is hoping that the project will expand to include chapters from the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Multicultural Greek Council, sports teams, and other large student organizations.

“Students are more engaged in receiving information from fellow students. There's something really special about learning information from your peers.”

“We're looking to get one person from each chapter to take a course where they'll learn how to be a resource within their chapter, support friends, and give information about what resources are available around Grounds,” Chu said.

This spring, the course will be offered on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Contemplative Commons. Students interested in stepping into this leadership role within their chapter should let their chapter president know and enroll in the course.

Nichols has been impressed by the student-led involvement in such a heavy topic and is excited to be able to work with Chu on this project.

“It's very interesting to see students be really excited about tackling this difficult subject every single year,” Nichols said. “The cool thing about student self-governance is that students are more engaged in receiving information from fellow students. There's something really special about learning information from your peers.”

Nichols started working in sexual harm prevention and reproductive health advocacy as an undergraduate student. She then worked in a Title IX office where she learned about the policies and procedures that institutions need to comply with in addressing this issue. Since coming to UVA in 2021, Nichols has led the Women’s Center gender equity intern team. She is also teaching “Front Lines of Social Change,” a course for all Women’s Center interns to engage more with issues around gender equity.

Chu and Nichols are excited to work together this year and bring sexual harm prevention knowledge and engagement to the UVA community. For more information or to get involved, please reach out to Nick Chu.