The end of high school marks a lot of beginnings and endings: the end of a role in a community, the beginning of a new one, the end of familiarity, and the beginning of exploration and new experiences. Unfortunately, there is one constant that has a tendency to carry over: bullying.
Students tend to believe that their bullying problems end in high school, and bullying itself becomes a non-issue with their move onto a college campus. At BC, we explore bullying in other forms and have different preventative measures such as Bystander Intervention, our lack of Greek life, and a rigorous academic schedule that seems to inhibit such behavior.
Students at Rutgers University probably shared similar ideas, until a student committed suicide in 2012. His roommate, finding his sexuality offensive, set up hidden cameras that recorded the victim and his boyfriend. He then shared the videos on various social media sites.
While this may be an extreme case, bullying online and off is just as prevalent in college and in the workforce, even if it is talked about a lot less. New social pressures, the vulnerability of making new friends, being in a new environment, and being exposed to new stresses makes it easy for a bully to fall into old habits, and for victims to be easily identifiable. Students in college spend every hour of the day with their peers, unable to find refuge at home. In addition, the lack of direct management and authority makes it much easier for bullying to go unnoticed.
I strongly believe that here at BC, we have enough resources and support that bullying isn’t a rampant issue. However, I have no doubt that bullying has evolved here – manifesting itself in classic cliques, exclusion, and, in some cases, racism and homophobia. Online and over text, college students are no more aware of their words and the effects they have than high school students.
A friend of mine came to me a couple weeks into the semester, very concerned about inappropriate language and comments directed toward her by members of a sports team on campus. This encounter affected her to the point where she questioned her choice to attend Boston College.
We all love BC (or we wouldn’t be here!), and her words saddened me. She expressed her hesitation to approach a faculty member, because, after all, we’re college students. I encouraged her to reach out to a faculty member in the athletics department so that these athletes could be held accountable for their words. Regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation, every student on a college campus has as much right to a support system as a high school or middle school student.
If you or anyone you know is a victim of bullying – meaning any form of harassment, harsh words, or actions meant to inflict either physical or emotional harm, seek the strength to speak to someone – your RA, a professor whom you trust, or even a fellow student – who can give you the support you need and some advice or solutions to handling the problem. We beat USC, so I think we can tackle this and be men and women for others (football pun intended).
Photo Sources:
https://playteachlove.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/breakingthecycle1.jpg
http://www.ramagazine.com/issue/11/images/RAMag11-BullyingHeader.jpg