Over the last year at GCU, I have been subject to continued harassment from a fellow student. My course leaders and Student Wellbeing have dealt with the problem as best as they can, but it made me think "What could we possibly do as a university community to stomp out this behaviour before it takes root?"

After spending many, many hours scouring through our own Student Conduct policy, the SC policies of local universities, forums dedicated to giving students who experience what I have a voice and our University's stance against gender-based violence (GBV), I've came to many conclusions about what we could do to better support students like me. Speaking privately to some of my classmates and gaining a community perspective, I discovered a real desire for what American Title IX universities call "bystander intervention training", as many of my classmates wanted to help, but didn't know how to in the moment. A mandatory part of many curriculums, bystander intervention training equips students with the knowledge to intervene when they witness harassment or GBV. It carries different meanings for victims, witnesses and would-be perpetrators. If you are a victim, you can be believed and there are people who have your back. For witnesses, there is something you can do, whether in the moment or later through the University's support systems. And for would-be perpetrators, it is a strong deterrent: your behaviour does not go unseen and more likely than not, something will be done about it.

Therefore, I am asking for the powers that be at Glasgow Caledonian University to seriously consider implementing bystander intervention training programme with a strong emphasis on promoting it to new entrants and staff, seeking guidance from local organisations that deal with victim advocacy and gender-based violence in building the programme. There is also this UK based programme that provides training to workplaces and universities. Beyond GBV, I feel that the programme can be structured in such a way to be inclusive of all types of discriminatory harassment a student may face. I feel such a programme would fit nicely into the University's mission 'For the Common Good' and is a great addition to their 'Erase the Grey' campaign.