Campus culture around sexual assault and prevention is changing, largely in part to organizations like Green Dot and a growing interest in involvement and awareness on the matter.
Green Dot is a leader in the effort to change the culture by spreading their impact across campus to influence different programs, demographics, and individuals. The organization focuses on prevention based teaching, not for the victim as many have been conditioned to focus on, but for the bystander.
“We all want to intervene, most of us want to do the right thing, but there’s a lot of things that get in the way, “ Michelle DiPasquale, Green Dot’s Violence Prevention Program Manager, explained. “It can be our personalities, the relationships we have with certain people involved, it could be the situation. Me alone in a parking lot at night, I might have different barriers.”
Green Dot teaches the “three D’s”– Direct, Delegate, and Distract. Direct refers to directly intervening, such as telling an individual to back off or get away from someone who seems to be uncomfortable. Delegate refers to letting someone else know about the situation, such as a bouncer or officer. Finally, to distract means to interrupt the conversation and help remove the potential victim from the situation.
“From the bystander lens, we can all choose to do something to help somebody that might be in a harmful situation.”
This prevention based education is important, DiPasquale argues, because it takes blame away from the victim. Many have heard the phrase “it’s never the victim’s fault”, but DiPasquale adds that expecting someone to act a certain way can be a form of victim blaming itself.
“For too long the focus has been on certain people having to feel like it’s on them to stay safe,” She said. “No. It’s on people to not harm other people.”
Psychology professor Matt Gray said the University was due for a culture change and the resources to get the job done. A 2018 survey showed that 27% of respondents had experienced sexual assault during their time at UW, with actual numbers projected to be even higher. While the numbers were discouraging, it did lead to change.
“Administration did fund a couple mental health treatments, a violence prevention program, and for many of us to get trained in Green Dot. We’re tackling the problem in an evidence based way,” said Gray.
One such program included the expansion of mental health services for people impacted by sexual assault. Two new offices were added to address these specific concerns.
In addition, Gray noted the existence of several other services that are expanding to reflect a slowly-changing culture across campus that is more aware and involved with sexual assault awareness and prevention.
“I think we need to do a better job of just letting people know what sexual assault is, what sexual misconduct is, and what consentuality is,” Gray said. “There should be less confusion for survivors themselves who might be prone to blame themselves or be unsure what qualifies or not.”
To get involved with Green Dot training, go to Green Dot on the University’s main page to fill out an interest form, or simply message @uwyogreendot on Instagram to find available times. For sexual assault resources and support, email campus@safeproject.org to discuss legal matters and restrictions regarding an assault case, or call (307) 766-2187 for counseling services.
