Emory launches bystander intervention training focused on eliminating sexual and relationship harm

Imagine a map with several red dots signifying hot spots, or locations where someone has been subjected to sexual harassment, verbal aggression or even the threat of physical harm. 

Now imagine the same map again — but this time, green dots are popping up to replace the red dots. Each green dot represents a counter moment when one person chooses to look out for another person. 

Emory is encouraging students, faculty and staff to become those green dots. 

This spring, the university’s Office of Respect (part of Campus Life) launched Green Dot, a nationally recognized evidence-based anti-violence bystander intervention training program. The 57 participating staff members, representing 18 departments on Emory’s Atlanta and Oxford campuses, completed two days of rigorous train-the-trainer sessions.

Green Dot equips individuals with the knowledge, skills and motivation to intervene in high-risk situations to prevent sexual and relationship harm. The program teaches three intervention strategies:

• directly stepping in to address harmful language or behavior; 
• distracting the aggressor; or
• delegating by asking other bystanders to help or call police or other authorities.

“Combatting relationship and sexual harm on campuses nationwide demands collective, holistic approaches that produce system-level cultural change,” says Emily Palmieri, director of Emory’s Office of Respect and lead for the ongoing Culture of Respect initiative. “Introducing Green Dot training as a strategy further underscores the university’s commitment to such change.” 

CORE self-assessment points to bystander intervention strategy and training 

The Green Dot program came to campus following Emory’s Culture of Respect (CORE) self-assessment process conducted in collaboration with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). 

The CORE process guides colleges and universities through a comprehensive two-year self-assessment to strengthen cross-campus partnerships and optimize the impact of institutional resources to end sexual and relationship harm. 

“CORE ensures that university programs and policies are on the same page by creating a coordinated ecosystem of mutually supportive strategies that collectively contribute to a safer and more respectful campus environment for all,” says Cari Jo Clark, CORE team member and associate professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health at Rollins School of Public Health.

Emory’s self-assessment process was managed by the university’s CORE Leadership Team, a coalition of more than 50 student, faculty, staff, parent and alumni stakeholders representing wide-ranging perspectives, expertise and university departments. 

“CORE helped us create a shared institutional framework for addressing sexual and relationship harm, strengthening collaboration across campuses and departments, and improving alignment and mutual reinforcement of prevention, response, policy, training and ongoing assessment efforts,” says Amanda Yu-Nguyen, director of the Center for Healthful Living at Emory’s Oxford College and a member of the CORE Leadership Team.   

Importantly, the process also helped create a common language and shared understanding across the university on how to foster a culture of respect.

“CORE is not designed to ‘own’ initiatives that address sexual and relationship harm, but to support building a campus culture that prevents and responds to sexual and relationship harm,” says Nicole Babcock, director and Title IX coordinator, who co-led the two-year CORE process with Palmieri. 

“Green Dot bystander intervention training is one element of that campus culture — one evidence-based strategy that advances several CORE goals, which include enhancing community engagement and prevention education,” Babcock adds. 

Green Dot training also complements existing Emory initiatives, including consent education, healthy relationship programming, restorative practices, confidential support services, faculty and staff training, and ongoing assessment efforts. 

“The CORE self-assessment also helped us prioritize bystander intervention as an essential component of a comprehensive prevention strategy,” says Micaela Harris, assistant director for sexual and relationship harm prevention in the Office of Respect. “And we identified Green Dot as the best option to deliver it.” 

In addition, relationships and infrastructure established by the CORE coalition facilitated recruitment of a broad group of participants for Green Dot training as a shared institutional effort. 

“The first cohort of Green Dot trainees consisted primarily of staff members whose roles already position them to influence students and campus communities,” Harris explains. “Our larger goal is to deliver bystander intervention training to a much wider audience of students, faculty and staff.”

Advancing to the next stage

Although the CORE process with NASPA and the first phase of Green Dot training have been successfully completed, Emory’s commitment continues. 

“Our CORE Leadership Team has turned its attention now to maintaining an institutionally supported collective initiative to further enhance and align programs and policies, as well as advancing awareness of the university resources for those who need them,” says Palmieri.

“At the same time, an expanding team of Green Dot-trained students, faculty and staff are being equipped with bystander intervention skills to communicate the message that sexual and relationship harm are unacceptable,” Palmieri adds, “and that Emory is fully committed to eliminating sexual and relationship harm throughout our university community.”