Confronting gender-based violence - whether that be domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence or even stalking - is the emphasis of Every Blue Jay, a program at Westminster College.
Bettina Korte-Sweede, grant and project director of Every Blue Jay, told the Rotary Club on Wednesday that the program's goal is to develop appropriate campus policies and procedures to help prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and also to provide continuing education and skill-building in bystander intervention and violence prevention; as well as to increase the access to support services for all Westminster students.
"One of the challenges we experience," Korte-Sweede said, "is providing the information to students in a manner they will accept and hopefully implement as they navigate their new norm of college living, while establishing friend groups and setting boundaries they are comfortable with within those groups and relationships."
If someone would like to report, they have two options: confidential and mandated.
For confidential reporting, students may reach out to the campus nurse, counselors at Center of Faith and Service, and chaplains. Otherwise, speaking with faculty, staff, dean of student life and director of security can be of help, but are mandated reporters.
There are counseling services provided at The Wellness Center at Westminster College, and the guidance and assistance provided through those confidential resources is one of the benefits the school is grateful for as it strives to help combat and prevent these situations.
"I hate that stuff like (violence) is going to happen, but if it's going to happen in Callaway County, we need to be best suited to handle and address those situations and help the persons involved overcome them," Korte-Sweede said.
The school will be showcasing this information to new incoming students, and they will have a 90-minute Green Dot overview.
Green Dot is the school's bystander intervention program. It involves proactive and reactive ways to affect a culture change on the campus. The idea behind the program is that no one has to do everything, but everyone has to do something because violence isn't OK and everyone needs to do their part to keep the campus safe.
Students can also take a reality-driven course called Not Anymore that is designed to educate them about consent, healthy relationships, bystander intervention, as well as the realities of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and more.
"We definitely don't want to put a damper on their college experience," Korte-Sweede said. "But we want them to be able to get through it with less or no trauma and have a great experience that can definitely be had here."
For more information, visit www.wcmo.edu/student-life/every-blue-jay/index.html.