Resource Roundup – Bullying on Campus -- admin | October 28, 2011

Yesterday’s conversation on #sachat (a twitter community for Student Affairs professionals, see http://thesabloggers.org/sachat/# for more info) centred on “Bullies: Students, colleagues and supervisors.”  This is an on-going conversation for many of us and we are constantly seeking new ideas and resources to address this issue on our campuses and in our residence halls.  I’m sure many of you have seen Rick Mercer’s “Make it Better Now” rant from earlier this week, either having watched the show, or seen the video go viral on Facebook and Twitter.  This is a call to action for all of us.

Below is a list of resources for your perusal.

Dealing with Bullies in the Workplace: http://www.bullyonline.org/action/action.htm
Bullying is not just a student issue.  Many professionals are bullied by co-workers or supervisors.  This is a resource for staff to combat bullying at the professional level.

Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/marc/
While this is an American resource, it gives you ideas on the type of training and workshops offered to students, staff and faculty that you could personalise to suit your campus.  Check out the “about” section for contact information – I am sure those working in the centre would be  happy to share resources with you.

Preventing Bullying and Harassment: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools/bullying.html
This resource comes from the Ontario Ministry of Education and is geared towards the K-12 sector, although many of the resources found here are applicable to post-secondary institutions.

Rick Mercer’s rant: http://www.rickmercer.com/
In response to the recent suicide death of Ottawa teen Jamie Hubley, Rick speaks out about the need to take action now.  Share this with your students and staff.

Suicide Prevention: http://www.suicideprevention.ca/
An incredible Canadian source on suicide prevention.

Stand Together: http://www.standtogether.tv/
This is a great idea for a program and would be relatively easy to implement.  You could set up a table/booth in a prime location in residence/on-campus to promote this campaign and encourage students to “get their number.” Residence Life student staff could also run this as a community program.

Also, be sure to learn about the campus partners (e.g. Diversity Office, Human Rights & Equity Department, Harassment & Discrimination policy) at your institution and community resources in your local area.

Hope this is helpful in taking the needed steps to addressing bullying behaviour.

- Kate