Green Dot Bystander Intervention: Does it Reduce College Sexual Violence Rates?

Rates of sexual violence (Power Based Personal Violence) are astronomically high on college campuses. There have been many programs designed to help decrease these rates. One of the most recent strategies is bystander... [ view full abstract ]

Rates of sexual violence (Power Based Personal Violence) are astronomically high on college campuses. There have been many programs designed to help decrease these rates. One of the most recent strategies is bystander intervention. Bystander intervention focuses on teaching students how to become better bystanders to create a safer campus. The program that a lot of colleges have adopted is called Green Dot. My study was performed to test the effectiveness of Green Dot on the campus of Middlebury College. I used a cross-sectional survey of all current Middlebury College students to test the college’s Green Dot Bystander Intervention program. Of the roughly 2500 Middlebury College students, 750 filled out the survey, resulting in a 30% success rate. The survey was intended to create a scaled score of a person’s tolerance levels for violence and their likelihood to be an active bystander in potential dangerous situations. This study is designed to test the effect of attending a Green Dot six hour training or hour long overview on an individual’s scaled score. Does the Green Dot program create better bystanders and decrease rates of sexual violence?