Goals of Step Up!

• It is imperative that those in attendance today feel free to have an open, honest, and non-judgmental discussion about the material presented and to consider their ability to make a significant difference.

• Raise awareness of helping behaviors• Increase motivation to help• Develop skills and confidence when responding to

problems or concerns • Ensure the safety and well-being of yourself and others

What are the 3 BIGGEST issues you see?

• Hazing • Discrimination• Anger Issues • Sexual Assault• Academic Misconduct

• Alcohol • Depression• Disordered Eating• Gambling• Relationship Violence

A. The five decision making steps

• Notice the Event• Interpret it as a problem• Assume Personal Responsibility • Know How to Help• Step-Up!

A. What Variables Affect Helping

• Individual-A person’s knowledge, skill set, confidence, sense of social responsibility etc.

• Situational-Severity of need; are there other people around? What are the costs of helping?

• Victim-Do you know the person? Do you think they deserve help? Will they accept help?

B. Factors that affect helping

• Ambiguity• Is it a problem? Is it not? Error on the side of caution and INVESTIGATE!

• Conformity • Informational Influence-when you think someone knows more than you do, or has more

information than you, you will follow their lead.• Pluralistic Ignorance-the majority know there is something wrong but no one else looks

concerned so you think you must be the only one and you don’t do anything. • Normative Influence-you go along with the group to fit in, to be liked of to be accepted by

the group. • Groupthink-when members try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without

critically testing, analyzing and evaluating ideas. Groupthink may cause groups to make hasty irrational decision where individual doubts are set aside due to a desire to avoid being seen as foolish or to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the group.

• Spiral of Silence-if one thinks that they are in the minority they are less likely to voice an opinion. So people who don’t directly engage in problematic situation still contribute to the problem with their silence.

Step 2: INTERPRET IT AS A PROBLEM

• Ask yourself…• Does it go against your morals?• Does this problem go against the norm in a negative

way?• Is this problem hurting you or the other people?

Step 3: Assume Responsibility

• Bystander Effect: People are more likely to intervene when they are alone than when they are part of a group.• Research shows that if you are alone you will help 80% of the time but if you

are in a group you will help only 20% of the time because of the diffusion of responsibility-you think someone else will do something. (Think back to the first video.)

• This occurs because of responsibility diffusion.• Responsibility assumed and number of people present is an inverse relationship

• There are many documented occurrences where bystander effect has resulted in loss of life.

• Do not rationalize away responsibility. • Verbalize your intentions-you are more likely to help that way. • Engage others- I’ll do A and you do B.

Strategies

• If something is ambiguous look into it! See what others think.

• Error on the side of caution and investigate.• Be mindful of group pressure and be prepared to react to

it. Break through Pluralistic Ignorance and the Spiral of Silence and take a stand.

• If you are a victim, let others know you need help- be specific if possible (i.e., “You there in the red shirt, please help.”)

Step 4: Know How to Help

• Many times people WANT to help but they either don’t know what to do (knowledge) in a particular situation or how to do it (skills).

• Help can come in two forms:• Direct: • Indirect:

• NEVER put yourself in harm’s way but again, DO SOMETHING. • Be prepared-Think about what you would do in certain situations so

when and if that situation arises, you will have a game plan. It’s harder to think clearly when suddenly put in a difficult situation.

Step 5: Implement Step UP!

• The challenges at this step are that there are always costs involved and the assumption is that when people decide on what actions to take they try to minimize cost and maximize reward.

• Costs of intervening vs.. Costs of not intervening.• Strategies:• Carefully consider the situation before taking action.• BE THE FIRST!• Create shared and agreed upon standards of behavior and

expectations within any group or organization.

Perspective Taking

• When noticing a problem: What would you want someone to do for you or a loved one in the same situation?• Imagine how the other person thinks and feels• Imagine being in the same situation• Imagine you are the other person

• Traits that are highly related to High Perspective Taking are; patience, reasonableness, and sensitivity. Traits negatively related to High Perspective Taking were aggressiveness and sarcasm.

Obedience to Authority: Milgram Experiment

• One more challenge to helping is when people do things because a perceived authority figure told them to.

• “All evil starts with 15 volts.”-Philip Zimbardo. All Problems start off as minor incidents and gradually escalate-people will keep pushing the limits because it is accepted by the larger group. Action for prevention must be immediate to prevent escalation.

• The colligate problem of hazing is a form of Obedience to Authority.

• Milgram3.wmv

The S.E.E. Model

• Safe Responding • Never put yourself in harm’s way but talk to someone, make

a phone call (911 if necessary) and/or engage others.• Early Intervention• “All evil starts with 15 volts”-Intervene early before the

problem becomes a crisis or disaster.• Effective Helping• Know what to do and how to do it. Remember the Law of

Deliver: Who (person\s), What (content), When (timing), Where (location\privacy),Why (reasons), and How (tone).

Emergency Helping

• Stay calm• Gather information• Consider your options-direct\ indirect helping• Provide support but do not become enmeshed• Know your limits-walk-away if the situation is unsafe

Non-Emergency Helping

• Consider the frequency, duration and severity of the problem

• Define the problem and the barriers• Determine the goal; develop a game plan• Set boundaries-don’t enable• Maintain respect• Consider options; know referrals

Intervention Styles

• Turtle-Doesn’t want to get involved• Teddy Bear- Just wants to be liked• Shark-Wants to save the day• Fox-Gives thought and perspective to intervention• Owl-Most creative, experienced and successful problem

solver; highest in social and emotional intelligence

Friends Helping Friends

• I care• I see• I feel• I want• I will

Top 5 Reasons we intervene

• It was the right thing to do • I would want someone to help me in the same situation• Someone needed help• We should look out for one another• So the situation wouldn’t escalate

Implement Step UP!

• Notice the event• Interpret it as a problem• Assume personal responsibility • Know how you can be helpful• Step up!

Scenario

• You have been at a party for a while when you realize that you haven’t seen your friend Jessie for sometime. You check the back room and find Jessie passed out on the couch. It seems Jessie’s breathing is kind of slow. Jessie is a pretty heavy drinker and in the past has been much more drunk that you saw tonight. Your friend Pat assures you that Jessie is ok and just needs to sleep it off. What do you do?

Alcohol Poisoning

• 94% of student athletes report that they have seen someone whose health or safety was in danger from drinking too much. What has your experience been?

• What do you need to know to be helpful in this type of situation?

• How does this affect the group or community?• What could you do to have fun without drinking or

minimal drinking?

Considerations/ Warning Signs

• Person is unconscious or semi conscious• Person has cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin• Slow breathing (less than 10 seconds or more between

breaths)• No response to pinching their skin• Vomiting while passed out, and not waking after

vomiting seizures

Did you know….?

• The number of deaths from alcohol poisoning of college-age people in 2005 was almost double what it was 6 years before. Most deaths occurred on weekends

Action Steps

• UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES LET INDIVIDUALS DRIVE WHILE IMPAIRED

• Check in with anyone who is showing signs of possible alcohol poisoning

• If you notice someone is passed out, vomiting, incoherent, unable to answer simple questions, call 9-1-1 immediately

• If they are passed out roll them to their left side.• Eliminate distractions-loud music, etc. • BE clear and direct with all of your requests• Try to find someone who is sober and can answer questions about

the individual• Do not leave the person alone• since symptoms occurred, and other relevant information

Action Steps Continued

• Do not leave the person alone• If vomiting occurs, clear airway by sweeping mouth of vomited

material• Do not give food or force fluids• If affected person is able to verbally respond, determine if the

victim:• Monitor Breathing and heart rate. If breathing and heart rate

increase begin CPR• Be ready to tell the EMT what and how much the person has had

to drink, presence of other drugs, how long it has been since symptoms occurred, and other relevant information

Resources

• 9-1-1• Campus Security• Campus Housing• Campus Health Center • Hospital

Implement Step UP!

• Notice the event• Interpret it as a problem• Assume personal responsibility • Know how you can be helpful• Step up!