College could be a tough time for new students as they make a transition from high-school. At Texas A&M University-Texarkana it is our duty as students and faculty to make sure everyone is in a safe environment. In order to fulfill that goal, the Step-UP! Program was enacted.
“Step UP! is a prosocial behavior and bystander intervention program that educates students to be proactive in helping others. It received a NASPA Gold award and recently was identified as a ‘Best Practice’ by the NCAA Sports Science Institute of national and international scholars,” according to the organization’s Website. The goals of Step UP! are to raise awareness of helping behaviors, increase students’ motivation to help, developing their skills and confidence when responding to problems or concerns, and to ensure the safety and well-being of self and others.
The Step-UP coordinator will work with the counseling services team to raise awareness on important topics such as sexual assault, drug and alcohol awareness, leadership, goal setting, mental health, and motivation. The counseling services staff at Texas A&M University-Texarkana include: Mr. Corey Robinson, Mrs. Brianna Taylor, and Mrs. Courtney Thomas. The Counseling Services team will be hosting various events and tables at the University to give students the resources they need so that they are educated and prepared if they need to STEP UP in any situation. “It allows our students to be educated and well equipped to manage anything that comes their way. We just want the absolute BEST for our students,” counselor Corey Robinson said.
Most problematic behaviors on college campuses involve bystanders. The Step UP! program provides a framework explaining the bystander effect, reviews relevant research and teaches skills for intervening successfully using the 5 Decision Making Steps, and the S.E.E. Model (Safe; Early; Effective). Students are encountering multiple situations where bystander intervention would be appropriate including, among other things, alcohol abuse, hazing, eating disorders, sexual assault and discrimination.
In reality, most unfortunate results are preventable. It is our utmost passion to help students learn strategies and techniques to intervene directly or indirectly in both emergency and non-emergency situations. At Texas A&M University-Texarkana, the counseling staff just want the best for their students and they will do whatever it takes to keep them safe.
Check out the video below to get a glimpse of Step UP! in your community:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=DfeYatFeFSM&feature=emb_logo
