CWU students may see an online course titled Voices for Change popping up on their Canvas page. This course is meant to educate students on how to identify a bad situation and help in a safe way.
Voices for Change will be split into two modules. The first is Hazing and Bullying Prevention Education, run by Executive Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Joey Bryant. The second is Bystander Intervention and Sexual Violence Prevention Education, run by Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Education and Compliance Laura Brant.
Brant said that while this course is only required for new students, they wanted the information to be available to everyone.
Hazing and Bullying Prevention Education
According to Bryant, this module will educate students on the definition of hazing and bullying and the policies CWU has on these topics.
“It also goes into some information as a bystander if you’re witnessing someone being hazed or those types of behaviors,” Bryant said.
Bryant said he hopes students learn tips and tricks on how to identify situations of hazing and bullying and keep them from occurring.
“A lot of hazing [it’s] coming from groups and organizations in most situations and so there’s a social dynamic,” Bryant said.
According to Bryant, having courses like Voices for Change is important because we have the power to inform and educate people about situations like the ones mentioned in the course.
“These are really serious, life-altering or life-threatening situations that ideally we would like no student to have to experience or go through,” Bryant said.
For questions on the Hazing and Bullying Prevention Education, students can reach out to Bryant at [email protected] or 509-963-1335
Bystander Intervention and Sexual Violence Prevention Education
According to Brant, the course starts off by talking about how it is important that we notice harmful situations and that we learn to safely help.
The course then transitions to educating students about consent and sexual violence, Brant said.
“[It talks] about healthy relationships, what it looks like to be in an unhealthy relationship and how consent plays into that,” Brant said.
Brant said that it is important to bring awareness to how sexual violence occurs. She said that when something happens to one person in the community, it impacts us all in separate ways.
“Students play a key role in creating an environment that promotes acceptance and inclusiveness and safety,” Brant said.
Resources
For students who have experienced/been affected by sexual violence:
- Victim Advocacy through P.A.T.H. (Prevention, Advocacy, Training, and Healing)
- Student Health Services
- Student Counseling Services
- ASPEN Victim Advocacy
- Kittitas Valley Healthcare
- Students can report incidents to a Title IX Coordinator (non-confidential)
For students who have experienced/been affected by bullying or hazing:
- TimelyCare
- Student Counseling Services
- Office of Case Management
- Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities
- Students can report a bullying or hazing incident through a form located on MyCWU or through https://cwu.guardianconduct.com/incident-reporting
