Culture of Respect
All of our student groups and athletic teams must attend risk prevention and education meetings/seminars hosted or sponsored by the Office of Student Activities. Every academic year, our groups host events for and participate in Hazing Prevention & Ally Empowerment Week (Fall) and Consent Week (Spring). Additionally, our groups are encouraged to attend programs where they learn about topics such as mental and physical hazing, alcohol and drug use/abuse, mental health, sexual assault, consent, healthy masculinity, and more! Explore the links below to learn more about hazing prevention and consent education, both themed around creating a culture of respect.
Hazing Prevention
Hastings College unconditionally opposes any action taken or situation created, intentionally or unintentionally, whether on or off premises owned or leased by the organization, which has the effect of producing psychological or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. To read Hastings College’s entire anti-hazing policy, click here. All student groups and athletic teams have the opportunity of completing an annual anti-hazing training sponsored by the Student Activities Coordinator during Hazing Prevention/Ally Empowerment Week each fall semester. Learn more about the types of hazing and resources available to you in the Student Group Handbook.
Consent Education
Consent Week is a collaborative programming effort between the Office of Student Activities and Title IX that takes place annually in the Spring semester. Throughout the week, our students have the opportunity to participate in events, attend workshops/seminars, and advocate for being active bystanders and creating a culture of respect on Hasting's campus.
Creating a Culture of Respect: Bystander Intervention
What is a culture of respect?
Hastings College is committed to providing an equitable, inclusive, and respectful campus culture and environment, free from any form of harassment, discrimination, or violence. A culture of respect includes social attitudes, behaviors, and norms that promote and support this type of campus culture and environment.
Why do we do this?
Creating a culture of respect and human dignity is important for the retention of members. We want to create an environment where our students feel welcome and supported, where they feel comfortable expressing themselves, where they feel comfortable talking openly to each other, and where they feel comfortable talking about issues or concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. A student group or team is where members are supposed to be at home; the Hastings community is supposed to be their home, and our campus is supposed to be their home. How can students and members feel that way when brothers or sisters are creating a culture that allows for microaggressions, bullying, hazing, racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, etc.? They can’t--which is why it is really important for our staff and students to develop that groundwork, work on being inclusive individually and systemically.
How do we do this?
If you see something, say something! Your action to take a stand can positively impact the lives of those in our community. Broncos can use the 4D’s to remember helpful techniques of how they can be an active bystander. Remember, an active bystander is another way to say ally!
Direct: Call it like you see it! Directly intervene to stop a situation or check in with a person directly to see if they need help.
Distract: Create a diversion to interrupt the situation. A slight interruption can change the course of events (e.g., “I think your car is being towed!”).
Delegate: Ask someone for help. Someone with more authority to address the situation may be able to intervene in a way that is safer or more effective.
Document: Document or report the situation to a trusted campus official (e.g., the Student Activities Coordinator, Title IX, your RA, student group officer, etc.). The only way to hold each other accountable for upholding these policies is to correct behavior that is actively working against our culture of respect.
Other ways to help create a culture of respect include:
Working to create an environment where any form of harassment, discrimination, or violence is unacceptable
Educating yourself
Holding others accountable for their words and actions
Treating people with respect
Empowering others to tell their stories
Speaking up when you hear degrading language or victim-blaming
Understanding what consent is
Attending awareness events
Reporting instances of civility violations
Check out the Student Activities Instagram for more information and events.