Understanding Privilege: Creating Safe Zone and Bystander Training Programs THAT CAN WORK AT A SMA

Agenda  Initial approach to launching Bystander Intervention and Safe Zone Ally programs and lessons learned.  Rationale for understanding campus-wide, focused training on privilege and culture change.  Overview of revised training plan  Sharing of resources  Audience discussion of SMA campus climate challenges and opportunities and successful programs.

Introductions  Elizabeth True, VP for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Title IX Coordinator  Amanda Nguyen, Interim Director of Residential Life and Student Services  Hannah Chisholm ‘16  John Amendola ‘15

Outcomes  Broader understanding of how campus culture affects students’ ability to engage in training on diversity topics  Sharing of best practices  Opportunity for staff at SMAs to collaborate across campuses to facilitate better training for students  Reminder that we are ALWAYS learning

Maine Maritime Academy Culture  Male majority in student body  Fear of raising women’s issues and being treated differently  Lack of traditional student activities  Lack of racial diversity/remote area  Comparative lack of awareness of cultural sensitivity issues  Regimental culture  Hypothesis – more conservative student body? Accurate or not?  Paternalistic/big brother mentality  “I don’t see color (gender, sexual orientation)”

Student Affairs Assumptions  Students understood the concept of privilege and accepted their own  Students had prior experience with diversity/sensitivity training  MMA Students held more conservative opinions on diversity issues than would be expected in a college population  Women and students from other underrepresented groups were comfortable challenging prejudicial treatment  Male students understood the challenges for women on a majority male campus  We were wrong on ALL counts!

Trying to fit a round peg into a square hole  Adapting programs from more traditional campuses without considering the unique campus culture of MMA

Bystander Training  Title IX requirements  Focus on bystander effect  Use of video  Lessons learned:  Began with discussion about status of women in the maritime industry  Focusing on details such as overemphasis on consent scenarios, alcohol  Making men feel defensive that all are potential predators  Unreasonable assumption about the frequency that women lie about rape for revenge  Didn’t personalize it enough for MMA experience  Didn’t connect to honor code

Safe Zone Ally Training  Required for Ras/voluntary for rest of community  Explored how identifying as LGBT is more challenging on the MMA campus  Lessons Learned  Either fully address role of religious beliefs in issue of homophobia or don’t explore it at all  Explain the training/Safe Zone concept better and broader marketing  Avoid generalizations and judgment based on assumptions  Adaptations for future – incorporating student staff feedback

Privilege and Culture Change  PRIVILEGE – Define  Connection between privilege and extreme majority/minority population imbalance  Lack of critical mass  Lack of understanding or acknowledgment of majority privilege  Examples of privilege and “ism” on MMA campus:

New approaches  Diversity training re privilege  Engagement of student leaders in planning  Gender expectations and communications - Haven and Sex Signals  Connecting to the Honor Code – bystander intervention strategies  Respect the Anchor campaign

Diversity training  Cultural competency  Grasping the concept of majority privilege  Understanding how privilege and assumptions lead to exclusion

Student Leader Engagement  Understanding Campus Climate  Meaningful conversations about what didn’t work – and adapting the training as a result of the feedback  Seeking direction – what “ism” to tackle first  Leadership Council  Feedback – what works?  Peer – led training  Focus on the positive – the benefits of being part of an honor community

Gender Expectations and Communications  Going deeper than bystander intervention to campus climate issues – reconsidering masculinity, expectations – what kind of community do you want to be part of?  Looking at men as allies and bystanders, not predators  Fully exploring consent

Honor Code  Connecting bystander intervention and Safe Zone ally training to the Honor Code and values of the MMA community  Focusing on the values and expectations of the code  We don’t treat people “that way” in our community  We look out for each other  We hold each other accountable to the code

Respect the Anchor  Orientation theme  Respecting yourself  Respecting each other  Respecting the institution  Respecting the community  Slogan picked up by athletics to convey higher expectations of behavior among Mariners

Diversity Resources  DJ Smooth videos  Consent videos  Bystander training resources  Sex Signals  Step Up stepupprogram.org  On-line Bystander training for USNA  Safe Zone training manual

Collaboration  Idea sharing from other campuses