This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ship chapter.

We’ve all heard the term, we all know what it means, and a large percentage of us know first hand what it feels like: bullying.

Being on a college campus, it is not common to hear the constant talk about bullying like there was in middle school and high school. The reason for that is probably due to the mature environment that college campus’ hold, but bullying and harassment is still an issue.

At a young age, it is hard for kids to understand that words can last a life time; longer than any scar or physical bruise. The expansion of social media and other technological platforms has created a bittersweet world for our generation. It has given people the right to voice their opinion on anything, giving a twisted sense of reality for teens and young adults. Being able to send anonymous messages has taken a toll on today’s society, given that you could never face your attacker in person. This kind of bullying/harassment has lead to many tragic events that could have been avoided, if it had been for a better understanding on such a taboo topic.

As a young girl, I managed to find a website that was dedicated to all things girls. It was great for me because I had just started puberty and, not having an older sister to talk to, it was great to get advice from girls who had already been through it. There were different message boards on this site, some about puberty, some about periods. Learning the site, I scrolled through the rest of the message boards: sex, cutting/emo, girls/girls, relationships, etc. I was shocked, to say the least. What was cutting? What is emo? What is all of this? So, naturally, being the extremely curious and un-satisfied child that I was, clicked on the board.

I can then remember spending hours looking through these girls posts about how they thought taking their own, precious lives was a solid solution from the harassment and torture they had endured at their schools. (Keep in mind, this message board was at the very bottom of the “Boards” page, in small print, and also had a warning label next to it) I had never heard of bullying, I didn’t know what the definition was, but how it was described to me, I definitely didn’t have a good taste in my mouth.

Now, as a freshman in college, I am now dealing with the emotional wear and tear that years upon years of bullying and harassment from my peers put on me; to the point I was put into a cyber-charter school to finish my high school career. The school board was notified about the behavior of the students, and not a single thing was done. These kids get to roam free in school, while I have to be isolated at home to a computer for 7 hours a day. Why is bullying talked about at once-a-year assemblies, but actual bullying problems are shoved under the rug? Why is it fair for an administration to give a student 5 days OSS for using a cuss word, but one detention for an in-school physical fight? Why is this the social norm that schools around the country are conforming to?

With September coming to a close (Suicide Awareness Month) and October being Bullying Awareness Month, it’s clear that these two epidemics need to be spoken about in a different way. It is astounding that 71% of students reported at least one incident of bullying in their high school career, leaving a miniscule 29% of a clean record. The way bullying is introduced to students is juvenile and non-relatable, making it easy to laugh at and make jokes about. Bullying is a taboo topic, not because of how much it’s talked about, but because of how it’s talked about.

The talk of bullying on a college campus is crucial for on-coming generations. Having first hand experiences of this gruesome epidemic can give a real inside glimpse into the horrors that bullying causes, and safe/healthy ways to stop it. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Stay strong.

The Trevor Lifeline (U.S. only)

866-4-U-TREVOR (488-7386)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.thetrevorproject.org

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

800-273-TALK (8255)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

National Suicide Hotline

800-SUICIDE (784-2433)

800-442-HOPE (4673)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week