By DELIA GRIZZARD
COLUMNIST

I’ve read many articles recently regarding the issue of sexual assault on college campuses, a topic that I feel is finally getting more consistent attention on a national scale, especially after President Barack Obama announced the creation of a task force to address rape and sexual assault on college campuses.

An article by Michael Winerip in the most recent New York Times magazine, “Stepping Up to Stop Sexual Assault,” has stayed in my mind; the article was a balance between up-to-date statistics, which are crucial for understanding the severity of the issue, and details about programs to encourage bystander intervention in situations of potential sexual assault.

It was refreshing to find an article that was not just complaining or fear-mongering, but informative and proactive have been bombarded with the number “one in four women are sexually assaulted in college” since I was 16, yet never have I felt so empowered to do something about it until now.

The general concept of bystander intervention can be seen in many different forms; in the post-9/11 era, the “see something, say something” campaign is perhaps the most recognizable example.

Schools such as the University of New Hampshire have had bystander intervention programs for some time, teaching incoming freshmen ways to step in and prevent sexual assault, from tricking friends into leaving a party to simply spilling drinks on aggressors.

As an RA, I have undergone training on how to respond to instances of sexual assault and rape on campus. I know I feel comfortable with the act of intervening in a potentially threatening situation in my RA work—it’s away from my work where I have some serious doubts.

I want to know that if I’m out during the weekend and I see a situation where there’s even the potential for sexual assault, I won’t be the only one who feels equipped to do something about it.

Of course, it’s sometimes a difficult line to navigate some might be afraid to overreact, and rob someone of a perfectly consensual make-out sesh. And, more often than not, bystanders have to factor in the effects of drugs and alcohol on the judgment of others as well as their own. Simply put, every incident is uniquely layered, and intervening is intimidating. That’s why we need each other.

The ability to trust the people around you is the most empowering form of public safety. If we can encourage one another to be unafraid, then bystander intervention isn’t just a special workshop; it becomes a shared, instinctual understanding between all of us, something I know we are more than capable of .