School is back in session, and now is the perfect time to learn or refresh yourself on best practices for cultivating a safer environment. You can make a difference on your campus by being an active and compassionate bystander!

The first few months of college can be a whirlwind of excitement, a new community, self-exploration, and a time when one’s safety is at increased risk. It can be challenging to navigate this new environment and relationships, including uncomfortable situations. The “red zone” is a term used by sexual violence advocates to describe the period between August and November when an astounding number of first-years experience sexual violence. Sexual violence can be incredibly detrimental to college students’ mental health and degree completion.

This is a painful reality, but the good news is we can all do something to make a difference. If you’re witnessing an uncomfortable situation, try to remember the 5 D’s of Bystander Intervention.

  • Direct – Whether you keep the tone friendly or serious, you can always talk directly to either person if you feel it is safe to do so. You can say: “Would you like to get out of here and go somewhere safe?” or “Come on, we know that term is not okay.”
  • Distract – Causing disruption can be a powerful way to stop a situation from escalating. You can tell the affected person that you need help with something urgent, ask them to go get food, anything to pull them away from the situation. You can say: “Can you tell me where the bathroom is?”
  • Delegate – Our environment can also make it less safe for certain people to intervene. Delegate is useful when we know we’re not the most effective person to intervene, or when there is strength in numbers. If you feel unsafe or unsure of how to act, you can have a friend come with you or have someone nearby intervene in your place. You can also utilize people who are there to help, like resident advisors, if that feels safe to you and to the person you want to help.
  • Delay – It is never too late to intervene! Sometimes we freeze in the moment or only find out about an incident after the fact. So how do we still show up for those harmed and let them know we care? You can check in with the person affected afterward, validate their experience and feelings, and offer support. You can say: “Hey, I noticed that [neutrally describe what happened]. Are you doing okay? Is there anything I can do to help? Is there something you’d like me to do if I see you in that situation again?”
  • Document – Even if you are not sure if you want to report, it may help to make a note of what happened in case you decide to file a report later. Documenting can also help if you need to establish that the SV is part of a pattern of harassment or escalating behavior.

If you do feel safe enough to intervene, it’s important to do so, since there may be someone there who wants to act, but does not feel able to. In addition to using these five strategies, you can also affect change on campus at a higher level. You can join your school’s bystander education group if they have one, raise awareness about this issue on social media, and continue to stay informed about resources you and other students can use, including through Title IX. Together, we can end sexual violence at school and beyond.

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