Feb 13th, 2010
by STEP UP! Program.
This video is incredible. Watch how 3 security guards just stand around and do nothing as a girl is brutally attacked, her purse stolen and she is kicked in the head multiple times.
The victim told authorities she thought the security guards would protect her and stood by them as the assailants closed in. The guards said they were just “following orders” which are only to “observe and report”.
Are you kidding me?
Here’s a quote from a blog post of the incident:
“When are Americans going to quit acting like sheep? This is the same argument that the Nazi guards used at Neuremberg. Didn’t work there. This is the same argument that the goons at Abu Greib who tortured prisoners used. Well, I was ordered to do it. Bull.”
Couldn’t agree more.
DO SOMETHING!
STEP UP!
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Feb 3rd, 2010
by STEP UP! Program.
Although not one of our original topics, the beauty of STEP UP! is that it can apply to so many different topics! I watched an eye opening Oprah show recently on the dangers of distracted driving – texting, talking, emailing, etc.
You are 4X more likely to get in an accident if you are talking and 8X more likely if you are texting. Over half a million people are injured a year in accidents caused by distracted driving. Only a few states so far have laws prohibiting it but I suspect that will change. A few years ago, one of my former tennis players was killed when she was on a 2 lane highway and a self admitted “distracted” driver lost control of his car and hit her head on. She left behind a remarkable husband and 2 adorable children, 4 and 2 at the time.
THESE ACCIDENTS ARE PREVENTABLE.
STEP UP! when you see someone or know someone is texting, emailing or even talking on the phone. Think it can’t happen to you? It can. That doesn’t mean it will, but it CAN. Is it worth the risk? If you have 15 minutes, watch the video from Oprah’s show. STEP UP! Do what’s right. You might save a life.
DO SOMETHING!
STEP UP!
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Jan 17th, 2010
by STEP UP! Program.
With the destruction and devastation in Haiti it’s a very appropriate time to call upon the “prosocial behavior” aspect of STEP UP! While any help is appreciated monetary donations are preferred if possible. Here are 3 ways to donate to the Red Cross:
Text: Text the word “Haiti” to the number 90999
Call: 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish)
Visit: http://www.redcross.org/
DO SOMETHING!
STEP UP!
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Jan 16th, 2010
by STEP UP! Program.
STEP UP! has received the NASPA Excellence Award Gold - Recognizing Excellence and Innovation in Student Affairs Programs and Initiatives
The following areas were assessed in consideration of the award:
• Positive impact on student learning, transitions, retention and/or success
• Relevance to institutional mission
• Demonstration of success in addressing student needs and/or critical campus issues
• Collaboration with academic affairs and other departments
• Originality and creativity
• Effective use of technology and other resources
• Innovative practical use of research and/or assessment and linking to learning outcomes
• Evidence of sustainability
What a great way to start 2010! Please spread the word about STEP UP! and visit our website for lots more information for students and facilitators! Thank you to NASPA for this prestigious award!
DO SOMETHING
STEP UP!
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Dec 21st, 2009
by STEP UP! Program.
For those of you that may want to facilitate the STEP UP! training with your group in the spring (or anytime!) there is a TRAIN THE TRAINER webinar on the website under Facilitators; Training and Presentations; Train the Trainer. It’s FREE and you can watch it at your convenience. This, along with your step by step Facilitator Guide should be plenty to get you up and running! There are also some very helpful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) on the website as well.
Our biggest tip is to get to know the material! It is comprehensive but once you do it, you’ll see it’s not so difficult after all! This training can then serve as the foundation for the more in depth topic specific presentations that can follow. At Arizona we’ve even had professors teach it in class – the students loved it AND said they learned a tremendous amount.
Why have completely different presentations? This is a way to have a consistent message, consistent language and a consistent approach to any problem. The University of Arizona has adopted it campus wide (see Nov. blog for more info). STEP UP! Day will be March 1, 2010 on our campus – lots of great stuff is planned! Contact us if you’d like more info on how to do your own STEP UP! Day.
If you do watch the Train the Trainer, let us know how you like it and, as always, please let us know if you have any questions.
DO SOMETHING – STEP UP!
Posted in: Program News and Announcements.
Dec 11th, 2009
by STEP UP! Program.
Some preliminary training evaluation results are in and they are very positive – STEP UP! appears to be working! Attached are some key findings (n= 49 student-athletes). We hope to add to this data soon from other universities that have done the training.
For those that are interested, both the pilot study as well as the evaluation instrument (post training) are on the website under Facilitators/Resource Library.
DO SOMETHING! STEP UP!
Posted in: Program News and Announcements.
Nov 20th, 2009
by STEP UP! Program.
Through a Department of Education grant of over $330,000 The University of Arizona Campus Health Services will be using STEP UP! as the foundation for Violence Prevention Education on campus.
Melissa Vito, UA vice president for student affairs, who serves as the project’s program director, said she will work with UA Campus Health staff to foster a campus where more individuals are willing to intervene – or STEP UP! – to prevent potentially dangerous situations. “STEP UP! education provides our students with the skills and confidence to acknowledge inappropriate or unsafe behavior or attitudes and to challenge it,” Vito said.
For more information, see the article on the UA website highlighting this joint effort. Look for more collaboration through campus partners for STEP UP! Day on March 1, 2010. This will be co-sponsored by Student Affaris, Campus Health, The OASIS Program for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence, Greek Life, Residence Life, and the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. What can you do to get your campus more involved in STEP UP! ?
DO SOMETHING – STEP UP!
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Nov 13th, 2009
by STEP UP! Program.
A Drake University student was rushed to the hospital following a hazing incident involving alcohol that left him “gurgling” and unresponsive. He had a BAC of .50 – six times the legal limit. A 9-1-1 call likely saved this young man’s life. 2 fraternity chapter members will be charged in the incident.
“The main factor is whether or not (Erickson) was forced,” police Sgt. Lori Lavorato said. “He was not physically forced to do it. It was more like peer pressure. He felt forced to do this in order to become a member.”
A police report indicated Erickson knew his condition was deteriorating and sent messages to a friend apparently seeking help. (As we teach in STEP UP! – let someone know if you need help!)
His mother released the following statement:
“Nate believed his fraternity brothers when they assured him that they wouldn’t let him get hurt. He trusted their judgment. They trusted their own judgment. But there was no judgment to be trusted. They all believed in their own minds that they could control the situation, but they didn’t understand the strength of the alcohol. Alcohol is its own monster.
We believe the other young men had no malicious intent. They just made bad choices. Nate acknowledges that he also made bad choices. That doesn’t mean they’re bad people.
Apparently no one realized that Nate was on his way out until it was almost too late. He didn’t appear nearly as intoxicated as he was. He was talking and sending text messages to his friends without any recall of those activities now.
We want to thank whoever finally realized Nate was in trouble and called 911 for an ambulance in time to save his life. Without that person’s action, it would have been an entirely different outcome, God forbid. …”
Although this probably could have been stopped at a much earlier point, one lesson learned here is when you notice someone in trouble STEP UP! – make that call, take action, DO SOMETHING! Remember we are all in this together.
Posted in: Articles.
Nov 10th, 2009
by STEP UP! Program.
As the Associate Director of NCAA Health and Safety, I wanted to share the following as another reminder of the importance of continued training on Bystander Intervention, so that the initial response to someone in distress is “SEE – Safe, Early and Effective Intervention. Without a deliberative approach, it becomes more likely that bystanders will feel either ambiguous about their role in intervention or at a loss as to how to intervene effectively.
Mark W. Huddleston, president of the University of New Hampshire, last week published a letter in the student newspaper raising questions about how a number of students saw – and did nothing — during an assault on a fellow student on Halloween night. “We are a community. That means we are supposed to look out for and take care of one another. That didn’t happen Saturday night,” he write. “Indeed, aside from the terrible injuries our student suffered, what disturbed me most was the fact that many people observed the assault and did nothing. Absolutely nothing. That is not how a healthy community behaves. While I certainly don’t want anyone to put themselves in harm’s way to break up a fight, choosing to walk past, to stop and observe, or just to ignore an altercation is unacceptable. It takes only a moment to call the police. Such a call can even be made anonymously. Remember: This 21-year-old student is not simply a statistic or a name on a police report. He is someone’s son, roommate and friend. What if he was yours? What if you were he?”
DO SOMETHING – STEP UP!
Mary Wilfert
NCAA Assocaite Director, Health and Safety
Posted in: Bystander Stories, Guest Blogger.
Nov 4th, 2009
by STEP UP! Program.
As a member of the advisory board, I get comments every once in a while that sound something like this: “Is all your time and effort really worth it?” and “What is the point of initiating a program like this when you know you are NOT going to prevent every crime or hardship from happening?” For me, these are easy questions to answer. First, I answer “is it worth it?” with a simple but strong “YES! It is most definitely worth it.” In his book, The Art of Happiness, the Dalai Llama writes about the connection he feels to all human beings as a source of happiness. He adds, ” If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” In other words, I find teaching the STEP UP! program has become a personal source of happiness while encouraging others to seek happiness through acts of compassion.
In regard to the second question, “what is the point when hardship will always exist?”, I think about the 1987 movie “Amazing Grace and Chuck.” In the movie, a basketball player and a young pitcher decide to protest the threat of nuclear war by no longer playing in their respective sports. At one point in the movie, the main character is asked the same question that I get asked. Namely, “What is the point? You will never change the world.” The main character politely answers, “Perhaps, but wouldn’t it be nice?” I can’t think of a better phrase to endorse. Sure, we may not prevent every hardship but wouldn’t it be nice? Sure, we may not reach everyone who hears a STEP UP! presentation but wouldn’t it be nice?
My other response to this question is this: “I agree that unfortunately hardships exist but if you do one nice thing for someone today perhaps that means one less hardship.” Having a world where we look out for each other is a very noble quest. And, if achieved, wouldn’t that be nice?
Dr. Scott Goldman
Posted in: Guest Blogger.
