Green Dot KSU initiative benefits students, community
By Kimberleigh Anderson and Melissa Puppo
Kent State’s Green Dot Strategy has helped change the university’s approach to campus assault culture since its launch last fall.
Green Dot’s arrival stemmed from Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services Director Jennifer O’Connell’s initiative to bring an innocent bystander program to campus. This movement acts as a way the community can work together and decrease power-based violence. Green Dot includes skill-based workshops and an ongoing social marketing campaign.
The idea behind the program is to view power-based violence — stalking, intimate partner abuse and sexual assault — as ‘red dots,’ essentially how an outbreak or virus is viewed, said Alicia Robinson, Women and Gender’s Center Program Coordinator.
“The premise is by us working together and working strategically, we can turn those red dots into ‘green dots,’ ” she said. “So it teaches students, faculty and staff how to identify those unhealthy relationships markers, how to be there for someone being sexually assaulted and kind of turn those red dots into green dots.”
Robinson said Green Dot’s mission is to create a cultural shift — a way to work together to change the norms around sexual assault and violence and take the idea off of victim shaming and victim blaming.
The number of power-based assaults at Kent State is underreported. Based on the university’s yearly reports as per the Jeanne Clery Act, Robison feels that number is skewed, especially when it comes to certain circumstances.
“I don’t think men really report it,” she said. “Green Dot goes into a lot of that too — they do both sides of the story.
Robinson said other factors include survivors blaming themselves and not wanting to report it or incidents involving actions such as underage drinking.
However, the amount of reported sexual assaults have increased over the past three years. Part of that is a result of Green Dot’s presence on campus, as many students have gone through the program, Robinson said. The number of ‘green dots’ or good actions reported on campus has also increased since last fall and is continued to do so as the year progresses.
Robinson credits the program’s effectiveness of discussing and teaching power-based violence compared to previous attempts on campus because of the significance of people’s past experiences and future connections made with one another at the meetings.
“Sadly to say — I hate that I have to say this — but there’s always people in the room in the workshop that dealt with sexual abuse, who have been stalked, had intimate partner violence, Robinson said. “I think it brings it closer to home. Once you go to a workshop, you’re changed forever cause you’re like ‘Wow, there’s only 10 of us, so someone is dealing with it.’ It brings it to be more realistic.”
[pullquote]“I think it brings it closer to home. Once you go to a workshop, you’re changed forever cause you’re like ‘Wow, there’s only 10 of us, so someone is dealing with it.’ It brings it to be more realistic.” – Alicia Robinson [/pullquote]
Jenna Brinker, a graduate assistant, works closely with the Women and LGBTQ Centers and has been Green Dot trained after successfully completing a program workshop.
As a trained educator, Brinker believes the program provides a person ownership of his or her life and the interactions around that person.
“I’ve become more confident with ways that I want to insert myself in situations or ways that I think about situations that I see and maybe delegate,” Brinker said of her new Green Dot ‘lens’ and view of her surroundings.
While Brinker has never dealt with a traumatic power-based violent experience, she sees Green Dot as a healing process for those that are experiencing it. Those involved, however, are seeking out way to be proactive about the issue and are helping to create the culture change.
After Green Dot Week took place last week, Brinker felt it empowering for new bystanders to understand the Green Dot program as well make them think of a green dot — either one they could perform in future situations or do so to realize that they already know what Green Dots are and are already participating.
Sparking conversation is why Brinker feels Green Dot is going to continue to make a difference on the Kent State community. The program has been taught at Destination Kent State sessions and First Year Experience classes for incoming freshman, and the program regularly holds workshops and sessions.
“I think [Green Dot] is working,” Brinker said. “People have become attracted to the program. They’ve become interested in it. I think it is proactively changing culture.”
Sexual Assault Reports
According to Srgt. Nancy Shefchuk of the Kent State Police Department: “Regarding Green Dot and its impact on [Kent State’s] campus reporting, with the educational push to work with faculty, staff and students in this area, we expected a jump in reported sexual assaults. We saw an increase last year (2014).”
What’s next for Green Dot?
Compared to four educators trained on Kent’s campus last year to the growth of nearly 25 newly trained educators, Green Dot is continuing to help the university change its perspective on the topic of assault.
Green Dot’s next goal is to train 20 percent of Kent State’s total student population.
“If you have those 20 percent trained, you can cause the culture shift,” Robinson said. “If you have all of these people — and we’ve tried to target student leaders, people who have stake holding positions on campus and they have a big following — so that’s our goal.”
Green Dot also has created a faculty and staff curriculum where teachers are able to put certain information in their syllabi and more.
“Teachers are kind of the front lines of our students, so we want to get more involved with faculty and staff as well,” Robinson said. “I think that’s our next step.”
Inside Green Dot Training
