Marquette University

Location

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Highlight

This Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Soteria Solutions is thrilled to highlight Marquette University and their ongoing implementation of Bringing in the Bystander® . This 2021 article by then-Sophomore TJ Dysart highlights the University’s commitment to training every new student in not only what constitutes sexual assault, but how to interrupt harmful language and behavior with prosocial bystander intervention strategies.

A protective factor against experiencing harm and violence is establishing norms early (and often) that acknowledge and confront the harmful attitudes, values, and behaviors that young people are socialized in and with. All the “stuff” that we each bring to the proverbial table when it comes to our understanding of what constitutes harm, how consent is navigated, how substance use intersects with sexual activity, and more. Without establishing a shared understanding of how harm affects people differently based on their constellation of identities and the levels of safety and power associated with those identities, it is nearly impossible for people to buy into the benefits of prosocial bystander intervention. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to feel safe to intervene, let alone a young person who is entering unfamiliar territory for the first time.

Bringing in the Bystander® curriculum’s trauma-aware approach to prosocial bystander behavior centers this tenet: each individual has different strengths and limitations when it comes to when, where, and how we can intervene in harmful situations. The more knowledgeable and self-aware students are, the more confidence they build in ending campus sexual assault.

A critical point related to sustainable change comes from then first-year student Zaida Dangerfield, who shared, “I think every student should have to participate in this and not just the second-year students, because unless we are all on the same page, we will not make progress.” To that end, we are thrilled that Marquette University renewed their commitment to training their students in Bringing in the Bystander® in 2024.

Read Marquette University’s article highlighting Bringing in the Bystander® Training for Sophomores here: