Earlier this year, President Barack Obama created a task force to decrease sexual assault at universities, putting renewed pressure on campuses to prevent this form of violence. CHECK IT is HSU’s innovative prevention program, aimed at creating conversations about ways students can disrupt and respond in the moment to violence they may witness.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, an estimated 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted at college. While women are disproportionately affected, people of all genders and identities are subject to power based personal violence. The vast majority of assaults are committed by an acquaintance of the victim/survivor.
“Those high numbers demand attention and action. We know that with countless people experiencing power based personal violence during college, we will all be bystanders to potential moments of harm, at one point or another,” said Mary Sue Savage (’12, Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies), Prevention Coordinator. “The good news is that every potential moment of harm, within the presence of others, is also a CHECK IT moment, a time we can take action, watch out for one another, and prevent someone from being hurt.”
“CHECK IT” is a call for action and a choice to do something if a student sees a situation where someone may be harmed. “A CHECK IT moment could be seeing someone hanging around a drunk friend and making sure that friend gets home safely or overhearing a heated argument in the dorm room next door and contacting a resident advisor to check it out,” Savage said.
Speaking about the transformative potential of Check It, Shannon Deputy (’14, Zoology) said, “We can create a new social standard in which perpetrators of violence are held accountable and individuals can feel safer and supported in our communities. One person can make a difference, but together we can change culture.”
Through a combination of CHECK IT trainings, presentations, social media and marketing, the project aims to provide the campus community with tools and resources for intervening. By exploring multiple forms of intervention—including distraction, delegation, and direct confrontation—the program encourages people to find intervention strategies that match their personalities and communication styles.
“Prevention education that positions students as bystanders, and works to empower them to disrupt acts of harm, has been very effective in engaging students in creating a safer campus culture,” said Kim Berry, chair of the Department of Critical Race Gender and Sexuality Studies and co-chair of the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee.
Check IT was funded through a $250,00 grant from the Department of Justice and developed by the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee in conjunction with the North Coast Rape Crisis Team. SAPC sponsors various on-campus events for survivors and allies of sexualized violence including the Consent Project and Take Back the Night. Visit their website, www.humboldt.edu/stoprape, for more information.
For further information on Check IT visit facebook.com/checkithsu or email Mary Sue Savage at mss62@humboldt.edu. For the North Coast Rape Crisis Team’s 24-hour hotline, call (707) 443-2737.