Maryland-College Park brothers combat bystander behavior

Bystander behavior is exhibited if somebody does not act when something unacceptable occurs. Chapter President Ken Grossman, Maryland-College Park ’13, shares the steps his brothers are taking to be role models against sexual violence on their campus. As part of their member development program, members can participate in Violence Intervention Assistant training to stop bystander behavior.

Since becoming a brother of the Maryland Beta RLC, I was glad to learn that the chapter I joined found bystander intervention to be an important cause. Our chapter has taken steps to combat the issues of sexual violence and assault in our community.

A fraternity offers us a great opportunity to grow as a person and have the time of your life. While our opportunities largely define our experience, we also have a responsibility to others in our communities. One in five college women are currently in a violent or abusive relationship. Bystander intervention is one way of helping women in our community.

At the University of Maryland-College Park, students can attend Violence Intervention Assistant (VIA) training.  These all-day seminars teach students about issues ranging from relationship and sexual violence to practices for bystander intervention. Currently, 18 of our brothers are VIA certified. Not only does that make me proud of my chapter, but women who visit our chapter house can feel comfortable after seeing the certificates of certified brothers on their bedroom doors which state: “I am a safe person to talk to about and explore resource options available for a trauma or victimization you or a friend may be dealing with.” 

In addition to supporting our certified brothers, we have integrated the training as part of the Sigma Challenge.  Think about that for a second. In four years, a chapter of about 95 men will all know successful bystander intervention tactics and how to be a good resource for members of our community who have been affected by sexual violence.

In addition to VIA training, our chapter participates in a program called Ten Man Plan to help teach brothers about issues of rape and bystander intervention in our community.  This semester-long program for our brothers allows us to discuss these topics with a trained facilitator.  We continue to encourage our brothers to participate in this program.

We have a unique opportunity as fraternity men. Beyond the mixers and socials that allow us to build relationships with our community, we have a responsibility to those people.  That responsibility lies within each of us as SigEps, and I am proud to share the efforts of the brothers in my chapter with chapters across the nation.

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