Bystander training urges students to take sexual assault seriously

On Monday, Ohio University hosted “Campus Conversations,” the second event in a series designed to raise awareness and educate students on campus about sexual assault and bystander intervention.

The most prominent part of the workshop was the question of consent discussed what consent is and how you can tell if consent was achieved, and how the university could foster a culture understanding of what those lines are.

“This is so important because we just don’t talk about rape culture,” Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones said. “We need to have healthy conversations and they aren’t happening.”

A presentation on bystander intervention, led by graduate assistant William Arnold, was designed to educate listeners on how to handle being on the sidelines in an instance of assault.

“The three most important things to take away from this lecture: first, bystander intervention is doing what you can, when you can. Second, your safety and sanity takes first priority. Third, for every situation you intervene in, there will be many more that you don't or can't. Don't beat yourself up,” he said.

Members of the audience were given scenarios and asked to fill out a packet detailing how they would feel and how they would react in various hypothetical situations.

The keynote speaker, Thomas Vander Ven, gave his findings about bystander intervention and sexual assault. His studies indicated that most undergraduate students would not intervene unless they knew the person.

"Bystander intervention has a good and bad part," Vander Ven said. "I am not hopeful that bystander intervention works, but when it does, it works well."

"These talks are good because they make people and the community aware of what's going on,” said Sarah Finley, a first year graduate student and representative for the sexual assault prevention office at United Campus Ministries said.

If anyone has questions on bystander intervention they should contact Campus Care by calling 740-593-1660 or William Arnold at wa321112@ohio.edu.