It doesn’t matter what your major is, college students are busy almost all the time. We only have so much energy to spend during the day, so on the walks between classes, during your days off, or even holing up  in the library to get some work done (or nap), it’s pretty easy to just shut down or tune everything out for a while. Everything that goes on outside of your bubble isn’t your problem, right? Well, not entirely.

Even though You Are Not Alone week has passed, that doesn’t mean everything from that goes out the window; we still need to support each other on this campus, but the focus here is on bystander intervention. Not only recognizing a potentially harmful situation and keeping your head down is one thing, but recognizing it and then doing something to help stop it is another, and the latter is what we should strive for here.

It doesn’t matter where you are or what you might be doing on campus, if you see someone in trouble, don’t just turn your head and keep walking. It could be bullying (verbal or physical), a fight (again, verbal or physical), or even something as serious as sexual violence (say it with me, verbal or physical). You’ve heard it before, if you see something, say something.

To be completely fair, that might be easier said than done. What can you do? Well, a handy way to figure that out is with three simple words: Direct, Distract, and Delegate. Direct refers to speaking directly to the person who might be in trouble. Distracting is doing what you and others can do to interrupt the situation. Finally, delegating others to help with you and/or contacting an authority, like Campus Security (315-445-4444).

Obviously don’t put yourself in direct harm if you feel you are in danger. If that’s ever the case, jump straight to calling Security or 911. Doing what you can to defuse or stop potentially harmful situations is part of being a Dolphin here at Le Moyne. Looking out for each other is important to having a safe and secure campus, and if everyone is watching everyone else’s back, we’d all be much better for it.

Be supportive of those around you who come to you for support, and if you need support, know that it’s always there for you. For more information on bystander intervention here at Le Moyne, check out Dolphins Against Violence on Facebook (Dolphins Against Violence), Instagram (@phinsVSviolence), and Twitter (@phinsVSviolence).