Home united states Israel Keyes: IC Responsibility A New Initiative At Lthaca College

Israel Keyes: IC Responsibility A New Initiative At Lthaca College

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Israel Keyes: IC Responsibility (ICR), a new initiative at Ithaca College, aims to teach students about intervention samantha koenig so that violence prevention education extends beyond National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October and Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.

The programme, which is run by a group of five college faculty and staff members, gives workshops on being a pro-social bystander, or someone who intervenes in potentially bad situations, and teaches students intervention methods to assist them respond to potentially violent scenarios.

Omar Stoute, deputy Title IX coordinator in the Division of Legal Affairs; Linda Koenig, Title IX coordinator in the Division of Legal Affairs; Elyse Nepa, Clery Act and crime prevention coordinator in the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management.

Israel Keyes IC Responsibility

Israel Keyes, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology; and Samantha Elebiary, programme director of the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, are among the members of the committee.

The ICR committee is made up of all members of the Sexual Violence and Prevention Committee, which will continue to function despite the addition of ICR.

According to Stoute, students who have participated in previous seminars have shown a desire for a more comprehensive programme. Students can complete many seminars as part of ICR’s Bystander Intervention Certification Program to develop their abilities as pro-social bystanders.

A bystander, according to Syracuse University’s Barnes Center at The Arch, is someone who observes or witnesses an occurrence they are not directly involved in and, by doing nothing to interfere, contributes to harmful behaviour. Instead, a caring bystander steps in to make a good difference in the circumstance.

According to Nepa, the committee believes that providing students with a well-rounded education on how to be pro-social bystanders will empower them to intervene and boost campus safety.

We think that by equipping students with the skills to be pro-social bystanders… to know what to do in a circumstance,” Nepa said, “we can get a better end for all of our students here.”

Elebiary explained that campus violence might include aggressive and violent high-level crimes such as rape, but that such incidents do not occur in a vacuum.

She also stated that low-level incidents such as insensitive jokes or inappropriate statements contribute to a culture where high-level violence can occur.

We’re training people not only how to perceive and intervene in those extremely high–level, super hazardous and violent situations, but also how to recognise and intervene in the really low–level stuff,” Elebiary added.

Elebiary discussed how important it is to intervene in low–level problems. She claims that if pupils are subjected to daily aggressions directed at a part of their identity or something they care about, it has an impact on their mental health and social well-being.

It’s another another reason why it’s critical for all of us to be alert… to intervene in these situations, so that we can safeguard not just ourselves, but each other,” Elebiary explained. “Because I think it just promotes a more supportive group overall when we do that.”

Since 2015, the Advocacy Center of Tompkins County has presented a one-meeting session called “Bringing in the Bystander” at the college. The University of New Hampshire created the curriculum, which focuses on sexual assault, as well as relationship and dating violence.

The IC Responsibility: Bringing in the Bystander Certificate Program, according to Stoute, includes the “Bringing in the Bystander” workshop as well as a number of other courses such as “Understanding Your Identity” and “Facilitation and Leadership” to provide students with a more well-rounded, pro-social bystander education.

[Students] are seeking for chances that will be with them for the duration of their time on college,” Stoute added. “As a result, a part of this curriculum is moving beyond sexual violence prevention to talk about the intersections of violence and assisting students in making real-time connections.”

ICR, according to Nepa, is integrating many of the college’s existing programmes under one roof.

We all recognised,” Nepa said, “that preventative education is much more than just two months a year.” “And while we were offering a lot of programmes, such as bystander intervention and affirmative consent from Title IX and others from the Center for [Inclusion Diversity Equity and Social Change], we wanted to put it all together in one place.”

Students must complete a core track of workshops as part of the certification programme. A student will also be required to complete at least one additional track.

First Responder Education, Equity and Belonging, Self-Care and Supporting Survivors, and Mental Health and Well-Being are the other tracks.

Campus partners such as Public Safety, the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the Center for Health Promotions, and the Southern Tier AIDS Program are in charge of these tracks. Before a student may apply for a certificate, they must first complete a portfolio project.

According to Stoute, the certificate programme will benefit students not only in college but also after graduation.

The certificate, according to Elebiary, is something students can exhibit to graduate schools or potential jobs, and it is a highly marketable talent.

Elebiary remarked, “We really want them to think about this for the rest of their lives.” “So they can bring that all together to truly be a professional and leadership experience as they’re in graduate school classes, or in their post-graduation relationships, or in the work sector… they can put that all together to really be a professional and leadership experience.”

Another suggestion from the group, according to Stoute, is to offer the certificate programme to students who serve in leadership roles on campus, such as resident assistants, student auxiliary patrol members, and student athletes.

Students interested in participating in the programme can sign up for workshops and activities on IC Engage. Students can express interest in the certificate programme by filling out a survey, and they will receive emails with updates on what programmes are available, according to Stoute.

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