Is bullying a problem?
Bullying may not be thought of as a part of the collegiate environment, but policies are in place at the University of Indianapolis to discourage all harassment.
According to the UIndy student handbook, harassment is defined as any action or situation that does or could result in mental, emotional or physical discomfort, embarrassment, ridicule or endangerment. According to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli, UIndy puts any form of harassment on high priority.
“We definitely want the university to be a place where everyone is respected and appreciated. And if that’s not the case, we take it very seriously,” Vitangeli said.
The student handbook mentions some forms of harassment, but nothing specific.
“Our policies are broader because it’s almost impossible to address every single incident in a handbook,” Vitangeli said. “So most of our categories in our handbook address the broader issue.”
The handbook states that social misconduct can be defined in different ways, including physically or verbally abusing or threatening any person, on or off campus, including university personnel. These actions have strict punishments outlined by student affairs.
Harassment is classified as a category “B” offense. Category “B” offenses can lead to disciplinary action or residence hall probation. The offenses may be treated as category “C,” depending upon their severity.
“It [the punishment] could run the gamut,” Vitangeli said. “But if there was a severe bullying situation, and we knew someone was definitely bullying other students or bullying other individuals, and we felt the individual that was being bullied did not feel safe on campus, there could be someone removed from the university.”
Vitangeli encourages anyone who is feeling harassed or bullied to contact someone that they are comfortable with, whomever it may be. Resident assistants and resident directors are good first resources for students who feel bullied. According to sophomore RA Ashley Stanford, RAs are taught what to do if a resident brings them issues such as these.
“If someone is to come to us, we take that very seriously, because living in a residence hall we want to make sure they are safe and feel comfortable,” Stanford said. “So the first step is to figure out the level of the harassment, figure out how serious it is—if it’s verbal or if it’s physical.”
The next steps would include getting a full account from the individual reporting the harassment, getting permission from that person to talk to someone else about the issue and possibly bringing in the person doing the harassing.
“I would say go to your RA or an RA that you feel comfortable with because they will have the tools and resources to direct you to the next person up,” Stanford said. “They can go to their RD, who can go to the dean and make sure that something gets done about it, so that everyone feels safe and that they feel comfortable on this campus.”
Other resources for students are the UIndy police department or the counseling center. Director of the Counseling Center Kelly Miller said that students should not be afraid to report incidents.
“You [the student] don’t need to make the decision of ‘is this a big enough thing to report on or not.’ They [other departments] can help you with that,” she said.
According to Miller, the counseling center can help students find ways to deal with possible harassment. The counseling center offers suggestions on things such as coping methods, building a support network, becoming assertive and developing resiliency so that individuals dealing with bullying can move on from the incidents.
“If you [a student] are being harassed or bullied, that becomes your whole world—a world of fear and anxiety,” Miller said. “Being able to see outside of that situation to the broader aspects of what is going on in your life and the things that you are working for, that really make you who you are. This one situation doesn’t define who you are.”
More harassment policy information can be found in campus resources such as the student handbook, campus police and student services.
