Apart from our moral and social responsibility, for educators, bullying in college simply cannot be tolerated. Under Title IX, your responsibility is clear: educators must provide a safe and harassment-free environment that allows students to participate and benefit from your programs. The best way to prevent bullying on college campuses is by instituting anti-bullying prevention training and programs on your campus.
Bullying is often thought of as an issue that happens in K-12, and that once kids “just make it through” the high school years, they will be free to start fresh at college.
However, that is a painful misconception. There are bullies in college. Without the support of family and the added stress of living alone for the first time, worrying about loans, a heavier course load, and a new lifestyle, the impact of bullying in college can worsen.
If college bullies are not taught to take responsibility for their actions or are not disciplined, they will bring these tendencies with them to college and repeat their behaviors.
According to verywell.com, the six different types of bullying are defined as follows:
College Bullying is a real issue and needs to be identified and addressed on campuses. A great way to deal with bullying on college campuses is with victim support and training on anti-bullying. Reports indicate that victims and bullies have a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than those who haven’t been involved with bullying.
Create a campus policy and clearly communicate it to faculty, staff and students. If bullying behavior is detected, you should determine if the behavior violates campus policies or laws. Review student codes of conduct, state criminal laws and civil rights laws.
Encourage students who are getting bullied in college to talk to someone they trust if they face bullying situations. Although they do recognize it as a serious issue for their age group, young adults may be reluctant to seek help for bullying in college.
Students, faculty, and staff need to be trained on what acts of college bullying should be reported to campus or community law enforcement. Prompt enforcement will help ensure the safety and health of the bullying victim and campus community.
Consult the college’s Title IX coordinator to help determine if the college bullying is possibly discriminatory or categorized as sexual harassment. Also, an ombudsperson can help direct students to appropriate campus resources to report bullying.
Conduct anti-bullying online training that teaches faculty, staff, and students about the different types of bullies, the methods they use, the causes and effects of bullying and safe ways to intervene. Online training helps with the prevention of bullying on college campuses by sending a strong message that bullying is unacceptable.
Vector Solutions provides training for students and administrators that includes college bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment prevention. We are dedicated to helping higher education institutions provide impactful training and meet key compliance requirements. Our curriculum covers 10 key topics that maximizes student safety and creates a positive academic workspace for staff. Read more about our courses and learn why over 1,500+ higher education institutions nationwide trust us to provide critical skills curriculum to their campuses.