Representatives of the "Let's Get Grounded Campaign" presented an update of their group's progress to the Board of Visitors last week, announcing that the program, which seeks to reverse the "bystander effect," has trained 750 students.
The program was first instituted this semester as a way to encourage students to stand up to adverse behaviors and prevent them from occurring in the future. A wide array of groups closely linked to student self-governance have gone through the training, said Sharon Zanti, a fourth-year Commerce student and a leader of the group. The Honor Committee, the University Judiciary Committee, Student Council and Resident Staff have all participated. After the Day of Dialogue in September, interest from faculty and staff members has increased, as well.
"We spent a lot of time talking about why tragic things were happening in the place we love," Zanti said in an interview. "Our end goal is to promote a community of respect."
The training, which groups can sign up for online, includes a 90-minute presentation, Zanti said, which includes a video of a social experiment demonstrating the bystander effect. Students also listen to two scenarios in which they must decide how to properly intervene in particular situations.
Campaign members were especially encouraged by the student turnout for training and will push for continued training following the rush process for Greek organizations next semester.
At the Board meeting, Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer, attributed a marked increase in students alerting authorities about incidents across Grounds to the program.
"With all the recent security and safety concerns," Zanti said, "people are talking about what they can do to prevent it from happening to them and their friends."
The group also expressed its goals for the current year and further efforts as time passes.
"At this point one of our core needs is leadership in the future, as many of our current leaders are fourth-years," said Kelsey Host, a leader of the group and a fourth-year College student. "We want to let first- and second-years become part of something that's encouraging positive change."
Representatives also understand that there is room for improvement in their efforts.
"We are really hoping to make training more interactive, more focused on our community," Host said. "We also would like to create a framework for follow-up training."
Board of Visitors member Sheila Johnson encouraged the campaign to make greater efforts on a national level to demonstrate that University students are attempting to combat bystander behavior, particularly following the death of Yeardley Love last spring.
"[The Board] offered a lot of support and encouragement in terms of reaching out to other universities and gaining additional media attention," Host said.
"Get Grounded" volunteers are hopeful that their message will continue to resonate with students and will further involve students in matters related to safety.
"Students must know that stepping up isn't necessarily solving the problem yourself, but knowing who should get involved," Zanti said. "This makes it easier for the police and University to help solve it and stop it from happening again"
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