by Dani Norton
Staff writer
The Southeastern Office of Violence Prevention was established with one goal in mind: to assist students, faculty, staff and university members who have been or are currently victimized through threat or actual acts of violence.
Unfortunately, individuals, especially students, are not always willing to take advantage of this service. That’s where the Green Dot comes in.
Susie Fry, who is trained in victim services, is the coordinator of this program and believes in its ability to prevent violence and potentially save lives.
“Green Dot was established in 2011 by a volunteer group of students who wanted to seize their power and stand up through speaking out. These Dot volunteers are folks who are tired of others being rude, disrespectful and possibly being dangerous,” Fry said.
Of those volunteer students, there are a handful who are considered “pinned Green Dot members.”
They went through training as well as demonstrated their willingness to go above and beyond in extreme situations to help take care of their fellow students.
A student does not need to undergo training to earn their Green Dot. Anyone is capable of making the effort to keep themselves and their peers out of harm’s way, Fry said.
Standing up for someone being bullied or harassed, making sure a friend does not go off with a stranger or even being a designated driver can net you a Green Dot.
“Green Dot recognizes that every day we have the opportunity to keep our campus safe by speaking up for ourselves and others and their rights. Everyone does it, and this organization recognizes it and gives them a shout out,” Fry said.
It is an organization with a common identity: that of personal safety. A college community is subject to all sorts of dangers that students may or may not recognize as immediate threats. The Green Dot seeks to remedy this through spreading awareness.
Even social networks put students at risk for violence. Fry said that Green Dots will be wary of this fact and be responsible when sharing information over the Internet about each other.
Being able to recognize and respond to potentially dangerous situations is the key to being a Green Dot, something Fry says students need to understand more readily.
“Students are in transition here. They don’t want to grow up just yet. I know they know this message,” said Fry.
“However recognizing and responding to a dangerous situation does not register in their data bank yet,” said Fry. “Students are indifferent to their safety because they still think someone will take care of it for them. And that is scary.”
The organization serves as a reminder to students that they must always be diligent about violence prevention and that they actually have the tools to deal with it.
Students who wish to change their campus for the better are welcome to attend the next Green Dot meeting which will be held on the third floor of the Student Union on Oct. 5 at 8:07 p.m. on the dot.