Black and red balloons filled the Foyer of Blackwell Hall Monday where Respond to Acts of Violence Effectively (RAVE) held the "Stand Up and Say Something" event. The group, which came from Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director for Residential and Commuter Life (RCL) Larry Robertson, highlighted different topics prevalent in the college atmosphere and the best ways to respond to certain violent situations.
"We have seen an increase in quite a few different random acts and things that have become more violent over the past few years," said Jennifer Cox, area coordinator for off-campus living for RCL.
There are three committees to RAVE, according to Cox. The first deals with the large-scale event held on Monday. The second works on outreach while the third involves work on a website that has information about bullying, domestic violence, sexual assault and other issues.
Cox spoke about how the "Step Up and Say Something" tagline for the event was developed. "We were looking around at various pledges and other things. What we are really trying to accomplish is, whether you are a bystander or a person involved, we need you to ‘Step Up and Say Something.' We decided that's the perfect tagline."
The event began with a short video of Longwood President Patrick Finnegan commending the efforts of RAVE and the importance of responding appropriately and timely to violent acts. Speakers included representatives from the Student Health and Wellness Center; Madeline's House, the nearby domestic violence shelter for women; and the Communication Department. Issues such as bullying, domestic violence, sexual violence and hazing were all discussed.
"If you do see a situation, it's as simple as saying, ‘Hey, that's inappropriate, you need to stop.' If you're not really comfortable with that, after the fact, you can go to people that were involved in the situation," said Cox.
"We're going to have a lot of information on the website about how you can approach situations. It's really going to depend on the individual and how well you know people as to the level that you'll be able to intervene. Being informed is the first step and we're hoping that eventually everyone will be able to recognize … what they see."
Robertson said RAVE hopes to have a website up and running by the end of summer.
Cox added that deciding on how and when to act is often a difficult decision. "Sometimes, it's hard. It's not one of these things where it's going to be easy to step up and intervene in every situation. So maybe if you start intervening within your peer group or with people you know, it may be easier."
Cox said the group was very satisfied with the event that brought in 175 students, faculty and staff members during the two different presentations on Monday. "It was a great crop section of the Longwood community," she added.
For next year, Cox said the group hopes to look at other possible issues that are prevalent. "The hope is that you sit there and you get three or four topics with information and you take away something," she explained.
"We thought the timing on this was pretty awesome," said Cox, highlighting the fact that the event was intentionally held on Longwood University's founding date.
"I think the bullying piece is really huge. Mostly because it encompasses so many things that I don't think many students traditionally see as bullying. I think a lot of that comes from our culture." She said "there's bullying at every level. We see a lot of name calling and a lot of labeling people.
Cox said to ensure you are going to people you are comfortable with, especially with situations such as sexual assault. "Go to the people you confide in and can trust and then you can get the appropriate resources."
At the end of the presentation, attendants were asked to sign the pledge that they will "Stand Up and Say Something." They were also given two bracelets reminding them of the event and its message, one for themselves and one to give to a friend. Robertson said RAVE would be sponsoring the White Ribbon Campaign, an effort to end violence against women, in the fall. In addition, there will be a Facebook campaign on pledging to use social media in an appropriate fashion. "Basically, it's a pledge to not use social media in a demeaning manner," Robertson said.
