TO THE EDITOR:
Thank you to the members of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity for intervening in the assault on a staff member last week. Their quick thinking, selfless deeds and willingness to act might have prevented a tragedy.
While few of us may never be called upon to intervene so directly to prevent harm, it is important to remember that bystander intervention takes many forms. Each one of us can take action by speaking against violent language, by standing up for a friend or colleague being harassed or bullied and through the simple acts of listening and understanding others. Individuals can volunteer on campus or at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, get HAVEN trained to support student survivors of interpersonal violence, or participate in One Act training to hone their skills in bystander intervention.
One of the most important messages in our programming is that while we live in a society with violence, the majority of us are not committing acts of violence. The overwhelming majority of us are bystanders, not participants, to violence. This example of intervention by members of the fraternity shows not only that we can stop violence but that we can all work together to create a violence-free community.
Shamecca Bryant
Executive Director
Orange County Rape Crisis Center
