The Green Dot program, dedicated to bystander intervention, has officially surpassed its goal to train 1,000 students, staff, and faculty, on University of Wyoming campus as of Sept. 26, 2022.
According to the official website, the program focuses on reducing power-based personal violence and addressing other social issues that impede progress toward safe and equitable communities.
One way this process is completed is by training others on the three D’s.
“Direct, delegate, distract. You don’t have to use all of them,” Michelle Dipasquele, the university’s Violence Prevention Program manager, said, “For example, I’m not comfortable being direct so I will try to distract the assailant to give the other person enough time to get away.”
Green Dot was introduced to the University of Wyoming campus in January 2020, following the 2018 University of Wyoming Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey.
This survey reflected that of 1,913 respondents, “27.1% reported experiencing at least one instance of sexual assault during their time at the school.”
“Rates of harm should go down 7% if we stay on track,” Dipasquele said.
The next milestone for the program is to have 10% of the student body trained on intervention by May 2023.
“A lot of people are realizing the importance of being leaders,” Jared Clapper, a student senator and one of the four peer educators for the program, said.
“I think Green Dot is one of the most important programs on campus, and anybody who considers themselves or wants to be a student leader really should take the time to go through it.”
Darrah Short, another peer educator, also noted that getting 10% of the student body means that the program will expand.
“There’s maybe a few bad apples, but having people ready to intervene when they see something off is really important in ensuring a shift in mindset that would decrease rates of harm.”
Upcoming training for students will take place on Oct. 7 and on Oct. 19.
Those interested should email greendot@uwyo.edu or DM @uwyogreendot on Instagram for more details. Faculty and staff can find information on training at http://www.uwyo.edu/greendot/.
