Green dots signal start of Stand for State program

YORK, Pa. — Green dots, large and small, have appeared on the walls, doors, furniture, and even on the Nittany Lion at Penn State York. It’s not a new decorating fad; these green paper dots are a way to pique the interest of students, faculty, and staff at the campus, and get them ready for the Stand for State initiative that begins Jan. 25 across the University. Stand for State is an initiative aimed at empowering Penn Staters to stand up for one another. At Penn State York, information tables and activities explaining the bystander intervention program will be set-up on Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the lobby of the Main Classroom Building near the admissions office, and on Thursday, Jan. 28, in The Bistro area of the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center.In addition to obtaining information about the program, participants will enjoy Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream, green cupcakes, and green cookies. The Nittany Lion, donning a green scarf, will make a guest appearance at the York campus’ program kick-off events.“The Stand for State initiative is important because power-based personal violence is an unfortunate reality at our campuses and in our communities,” said Patrick Tanner, director of student engagement at Penn State York, and a point person for Stand for State at York. "This simple program encourages students, faculty, and staff to not only claim our personal space and campus communities as safe spaces, but also to understand that there are often warning signs and opportunities to intervene before bad situations occur.”The culmination of two years of planning, Stand for State promotes bystander intervention and emphasizes its importance in preventing sexual and relationship violence. It is a fact that people make decisions and continue behaviors based on the reactions they receive from others. Bystander intervention encourages others to intervene and promotes a sense of responsibility, which gives the bystander motivation to step in and take action to prevent sexual misconduct.Stand for State uses a bystander intervention curriculum created by Green Dot, a national leader in violence prevention education. Green Dot is built on the premise that in order to measurably reduce harm in a community, a cultural shift is necessary. The Stand for State program encourages the replacement of harmful behaviors (red dots), with new behaviors to reduce violence and harm (green dots).  The key tactics for intervening and removing someone from harm’s way are Green Dot’s Three D’s: direct, delegate and distract.“Rolling out Stand for State is meaningful for all of us,” said Tanner. “We all know someone who has been negatively impacted by sexual assault, stalking, or relationship violence.  his program reminds us that our care and concern for others’ needs can be as simple as asking a friend to talk, or making a call to someone else that can help. The simple and common sense approach makes this tangible for each of us. We all have a role to play, and I’m pleased that we are all encouraged to consider what that means for us as individuals. We care. We act. We are!”Green Dot provided four-day training sessions in June and November, educating a total of about 200 faculty, staff and administrators. The workshops focused on providing participants with the skills to recognize potentially problematic situations, step in to diffuse the situations when appropriate, and seek help when needed.In 2016, those trained will implement bystander intervention workshops for student leaders. The plan in coming years is that Stand for State will expand to cover bystander intervention for mental health-related issues, bias-related incidents, and risky drinking and drug use. Stand for State is part of a University-wide effort to combat sexual assaults.As the program continues at York, the paper green dots on campus offer words of encouragement and information on how to participate in the program. For more information, follow #StandforState on social media or email standforstate@psu.edu.