UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — This January marks two years since Stand for State, Penn State’s bystander intervention initiative, launched across the Commonwealth. Since that time, students, faculty and staff at the University’s 23 campuses, including World Campus, have been learning how to step in and intervene if they witness concerning situations of sexual and relationship violence.
Over the past year, Stand for State has been working with a variety of groups around the University Park campus to develop the initiative's new topic of intervention around acts of bias and discrimination. They will be officially rolling out this additional topic in January.
To kick off this new topic, Stand for State will host an event, “All That WE ARE,” at Penn State campuses between Jan. 15 and 30.
This event is inspired by the viral video "All That We Share." The activity is intended to help build empathy and connection between participants, who respond to a variety of questions that highlight human experiences. Empathy and connection are key pieces in prompting people to intervene in concerning situations. Following the event, a short video similar to the one above will be released highlighting all the campuses that participated.
Penn State University Park will hold “All That WE ARE” from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, in Schwab Auditorium. Students, faculty and staff at University Park are welcomed to participate in the event by RSVPing at www.standforstate.psu.edu.
Following is a list of Commonwealth Campus “All that WE ARE” events. To RSVP and to find out more information about individual campus events, contact the Stand for State campus point person.
- Penn State Abington, 6 p.m., Jan. 17, Athletic Building
- Penn State Beaver, 11:30 a.m., Jan. 29, SUB Lodge
- Penn State Brandywine, 4 p.m., Jan. 26, Student Union Building
- Penn State Fayette, Jan. 22 (time and place TBA)
- Penn State Harrisburg, 11:30 a.m., Jan 26, Community Center
- Penn State Hazleton, 12:15 p.m., Jan. 22, Slusser/Bayzick Black Box Theater
- Penn State Lehigh Valley, 12:30 p.m., Jan. 30, Room 135
- Penn State Mont Alto, 4 p.m., Jan. 23, MA Hall
- Penn State New Kensington, 12:15 p.m., Jan. 30, Conference Center 51
- Penn State Schuylkill, noon, Jan. 29, Health and Wellness Building
- Penn State Wilkes-Barre, noon, Jan. 25, Student Commons Student Lounge
- Penn State Worthington Scranton, noon, Jan. 22, View Café
“Acts of Bias & Discrimination” intervention trainings offered at University Park
At University Park, following the kickoff event, intervention trainings for “Acts of Bias & Discrimination” will be available to students, faculty and staff. Attendees will learn to:
- Identify “red flags” of acts of bias and discrimination
- Consider values in regard to personal responsibility to intervene
- Practice skills to intervene safely and effectively when witnessing concerning behavior
- Learn how individuals can make small choices that can add up to create a safer campus for all
Training dates at University Park include:
- Jan. 30 — Student Training, 4:30-7:30 p.m., 131 HUB (RSVP is required)
- Feb. 9 — Faculty/Staff Training, 9 a.m.-noon, 233A HUB (RSVP is required)
For more information, visit Stand for State's website.