Bystander intervention training for FYE students

By Autumn Light ’20
Staff Writer

Starting this year, LVC has accepted Community Response for Everyone’s Wellbeing’s (C.R.E.W.) Bystander Intervention and Title IX trainings as options for the campus engagement portion of their FYE freshman courses.

New to the curriculum for the 2019-2020 school year, freshman are required to attend a variety of events on campus to earn points towards their campus engagement grade in their FYE Companion course.

“Students have one more program choice than points, so they are able to choose which programs they will attend.” Sally Clark, assistant prof. of English and chair of the C.R.E.W. bystander intervention committee, said. “Each program attendance is worth one point for a total of 5 percent of their companion course grade.”

Although freshman were previously required to attend events on campus, training slots for C.R.E.W’s bystander intervention courses as well as their Title IX refresher courses have been added to the list of events students are encouraged to attend.

“The essential hope is that students will feel empowered to be part of the LVC C.R.E.W. so we can all work together to ensure our campus is as safe as possible,” Clark said.

Students attending the new event option of C.R.E.W.’s bystander intervention training sessions will learn a variety of methods to diffuse difficult situations on campus. Clark is hopeful that the trainings will leave a long-lasting impression on the students who attend.

“The goal is to have as many people as possible trained so that we establish the norm in which we all look out for each other,” Clark said. “We share the understanding that violence of any kind is not permitted here. It is an approach that builds empathy, understanding, and safety.”

The bystander intervention trainings will be split into two sessions, both lasting two hours. Students can expect interactive training sessions that promote a safe, responsive and collaborative LVC community.

“Session One covers an understanding of Power-Based Personal Violence, what it means to be an active bystander, and how to recognize situations in which bystanders can help prevent or stop an act of violence (either physical or emotional),” Clark said. “Session Two provides skill training in the proactive and reactive ways Active Bystanders can make our community safer.”

Students are required to receive to receive a stamp from C.R.E.W. trainers and must attend both sessions to receive credit for the events.

Students also have the option to attend C.R.E.W.’s Title IX refresher trainings that build off the Title IX seminar held in the beginning of the semester.

Non-freshman students can look forward to C.R.E.W.’s other offerings of bystander intervention training sessions this semester; although they are still in the process of being scheduled.

Students are required to sing up on Redbook for these events. They are limited to 30 students per session.

Students can contact Clark at sclark@lvc.edu with any questions.