Bystander intervention is the recognition and reaction to acts of interpersonal and sexual violence. Through trainings and education, it aims to establish cultural norms of intolerance of violence and create a community wide effort to reduce harm on our campus and further.

Kalamazoo College is passionate about taking care of the individuals that make up our greater community. We are diligently working to implement campus wide programming to educate our community on the history, persistence and prevention of sexual violence. Bystander intervention is just one prevention strategy used to prevent violence on campus and we acknowledge that the program does not address root causes of violence. We see this piece of prevention as a practical skill-building movement that helps put theory into practice, which is often the most difficult part of preventing violence.

Bystander Intervention completely supports all programming efforts that seek to address central elements of power-based personal violence. We work in collaboration with Kalamazoo College’s Title IX Coordinator to ensure that all community members have support.

Defining Interpersonal and Sexual Violence

Interpersonal and Sexual Violence is any act that includes sexual, domestic, dating violence, stalking, child abuse, elder abuse, or bullying.

Interpersonal and Sexual Violence can happen to anyone.

• On college campuses, 1 in 5 women will experience sexual assault.
•  1 in 5 girls and 1 in 13 boys will go on to experience sexual abuse before the age of 18
• 1 in 4 trans students experience sexual assault while at college.
• 10% of reported rape victims are men.
• 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men experience stalking.
• Rates of sexual assault in same-sex couples are as high or higher as heterosexual couples.

One small step could prevent harm from happening.

What can I do as a K student?

The movement to end interpersonal and sexual violence thrives by everyone contributing to the fight against these forms of violence. These contributions don’t need to be huge or complex. Below is a list of examples you can partake in to promote the reduction of interpersonal and sexual violence.

• Wear an advocacy/prevention pin
• Place an advocacy/prevention sticker on your car, laptop, door, wall, etc.
• Wear an advocacy/prevention shirt or mask
• Attend a training
• Talk about what you learned at these trainings with your social sphere
• Post something about bystander intervention, or other prevention methods on your social media pages
• Work with the Wellness and CARE office to develop programming or events that promote the prevention of interpersonal and sexual violence.

We’d like to thank our generous sponsors for all of their support. We could never do what we do without your overwhelming support and appreciation.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Department

Religion Department