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Colleges Work to Curb Sexual Assaults on Campus

Photo courtesy of greatdegree/Flickr.
Photo courtesy of greatdegree/Flickr.

UC is one of ten colleges in Ohio, and nearly 200 nationwide, where the campaign is gaining a foothold.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Services Debra Merchant says the college is working with student leaders as it moves forward to figure out ways to curb sexual assaults on campus.

"On our campus, we often say the students will lead us, and so they've been good partners in insuring we are engaging in the right strategies for this student body," said Merchant.

One strategy is to develop what they're calling bystander training that would be mandatory for all students.

Merchant said the training will help students learn to identify situations where sexual assault could occur, and encourage ways to safely intervene on behalf of someone else,.

"If you see something, say something," she said. "Step in for a friend, a peer, before it's too late. And so that's at the core of bystander training, getting everybody involved in making the campus safer."

The university plans to fully roll out the bystander training program by next fall.