Nova Southeastern University-Durbala
A Campaign to Address
the Risks and Behaviors of Bullying at Waterville College
Website: http://kpriestl.wix.com/astoryrewritten
Group Members: Taylor Dahlby, Danielle Durbala, Kaitlyn Priestley
 We have seen an increase in bullying: online and
in-person
 Bullying has been found to occur for college
undergraduates with 18.5% of students reporting
having been bullied once or twice and 22% reported
having been the victim of cyberbullying (BBC News
Health., 2014)
 RA Magazine: Increases in Cyber Bullying,
Roommate and Community Bullying, Hazing (RA
Magazine.com, 2014)
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory
(Evans,.,et. Al, 2010)
 Groups Most Closely Impacting Students

Peers, Technology, Advisors, Teachers, Mentors
 Questions to Consider:
 How do we as peers promote student development?
 How do we empower students or challenge them to
change behavior to be more respectful and empathetic?
 How do we utilize the technology that is currently
inhibiting growth to have a positive impact on
development?
“A Story Rewritten” aims to:
• Promote Positive and Respectful Interactions Among
Peers
• Utilize Technology in a Positive Way
• Encourage Advisors, Teachers, and Mentors to Empower
and Connect Students to Campus Resources
Students who feel connected within the campus have been
found to be more willing to report threats and bullying
behaviors on campus. We need to empower our students to
change their behaviors and stop behaviors that have a negative
impact on them.
(Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, n.d.).
(Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, n.d.) (BBC News Health., 2014) (Bronfenbrenner, U., n.d.) (Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K., 2010) (RA Magazine.com, 2014)
WATERVILLE COLLEGE LEGAL CONCERNS FOR ADMINISTRATION
 Title IX (Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
 Institution must provide a safe and harassment-free environment
 Anti-Discrimination (Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
 Title VI and the Age Discrimination Act (Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
 Prohibit actions with discriminatory effects, even if those actions are not intentionally discriminatory


Guardians Ass’n v. Civil Service Commission of the City of New York, 463 U.S. 582 (1983)
Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563 (1974)
 Found that intent is not necessary to be considered discrimination
 Section 504 (Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
 Prohibits actions that have the effect of subjecting a qualified individual to discrimination on the basis of
disability
 Liability (Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
 Institutional and Personal Liability
 Bullying escalates to a more intense crime
 Assault, Harassment, Hate Speech, Hate Crime
 Student Suicide as a result of Bullying (Duty to Protect) (Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
 Schieszler v. Ferrum College, 236 F. Supp. 2d 602 (W.D. Va. 2002)

It was known by the institution that the student was struggling prior to the suicide, and it was found the
institution was liable for being aware of the warning signs
 Technology
 Free Speech/ First Amendment vs. Regulation (Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
 When does the university become liable for what is communicated across university networks?
 What are the university policies around Cyber Space in the Student Handbook?

Example: Morrisville State College has a policy regarding Cyber Bullying
 Currently, laws are being considered to have legal consequences for Cyber Bullying, what does this mean for
college campuses? (Bosker, B., 2010)
Video and Campaign Success = Reduction in Institutional Liability
(Bosker, B., 2010)
(Bullying and Suicide, n.d.)
(Kaplin, W., & Lee, B., 2009)
(Morrisville State College Handbook, 2014) (Smokowski and Kopasz, 2005)
THE BULLY (Smokowski and Kopasz, 2005; Kokkinos, C. M. et. Al. ,2014)
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•
•
•
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THE VICTIM (Holt, et. Al., 2014; Kokkinos, C. M., et. Al., 2014)
High emotionality
Lack empathy for others’ experiences
Depression and psychological distress
Anxiety disorder and abuse substances
Poor academic achievement and more likely to drop out of
school
Develop patterns that results in bullying into adulthood,
increased risk of being fired from work
Increase in traffic violations and four times the rate of
criminal behavior. More likely to end up in prison and
cause damage to self or others
Develop antisocial personality disorder
Struggle to have long-term relationships and may be
abusive toward both their spouse and children
People bully for a multitude of reasons, many of which come
down to insecurities within the individual: social issues,
family issues, personal history, having or needing power,
and provocative victims. The key is the deeper issues within
the individual must be addressed to improve the behavior .
(Why do People Bully, n.d.).
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young
people. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to
commit suicide. A study in Britain found that at least half
of suicides among young people are related to bullying.
•
•
•
•
•
Depression
Emotional distress
Low self-esteem
Poor academic achievement
Struggle to have romantic relationships and may be
more abusive toward non-victimized partners
• May struggle with obtaining employment
• More suicidal behaviors
Video Highlights
• Forms of Bullying Displayed:
• Slander
• Cyber-bullying
• Being picked on in class
• Long Term Impacts Displayed:
• Victim:
• Emotional Distress
• Poor Academic Performance
• Struggle to obtain Work
• Isolation/Struggle with Relationships
• Depression/Suicidal Thoughts
• Bully:
• Poor Academic Performance
• Fired from Employment
• Isolation/ Struggle with Relationships
• Depression/Suicidal Thoughts
(Bullying and Suicide, n.d.).
(Alberti Center, n.d.)
(Bullying and Suicide, n.d.)
(Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K., 2010)
(Holt, M. K., Green, J. G., Reid, G., DiMeo, A., Espelage, D. L., Felix, E. D., … Sharkey, J. D, 2014) (Smokowski and Kopasz, 2005)
(Why do People Bully,n.d.)
Promote Positive and Respectful Interactions Among Peers
Video: Captures how the negative interactions impact the bully and victim long-term
 Video begins with bullying of one person and how it impacts the victim, and then the video splits into two screens to
reflect how both the bully and victim are negatively impacted long-term
Website: Includes an outlet for individuals to share stories and connect with a community to feel support
Workshop Series: “Wall of Hate” program throughout the week will reflect behaviors that negatively impact our students
and at the end of the week we will tear down the wall to represent removing those actions from the community. The
showing of the film “Bully” will also serve to enforce positive behaviors. There will also be two guest speakers who discuss
their stories of overcoming bullying experiences
Utilize Technology in a Positive Way
Video: Reflects how technology is currently used in a negative way, but incorporates using it in a positive way through the
#astoryrewritten, Twitter account link, Website link, and Facebook page at the end of the video to keep the conversation
going past the video on campus
Campaign Overall: ‘Take back the Technology’ idea, incorporating a Twitter, Facebook, and website, as well as multiple
resources available online that include hotlines, chat rooms, and text services
Encourage Advisors/Teachers/Mentors to Empower/Connect Students to Campus Resources
Video: The video reflects multiple ways individuals may be experiencing bullying and also the signs you can look out for
that the individual is being bullied or may need additional assistance. It also includes multiple resources linked into the
video at the end for the different parties to utilize
Campaign Overall: The multiple social media platforms include links to articles, research, and videos all related to how to
address bullying on campuses. The website also contains several additional resources to be provided to students from the
university, as well as other organizations on a national level. We want those on campus to be able to connect students to
resources and outlets on campus, help students feel connected through this campaign, and also have access to help if it is
needed
Things to Consider with the Campaign
Budget: RA Programming Money, Collaborations with Waterville College Student Government and Student Programming
Board to support costs of program series. Other elements have already been created and do not require cost, just
maintenance from the RA’s
Risk Management: Will utilize budget if necessary to pay for security of wall during the week, as well as at events. We will
reach out to student counselling for assistance at events. The social media platforms will also be upheld to all Waterville
College standards and regulations. They will be approved by the university for use as well in representing the university and
the Department of Residence Life We will also consider university relations/ media.
Assessment of Campaign: To ensure the campaign is having the desired impact and the video is received well, we will
request to add a question to EBI or to an already existing form of assessing the residence halls or RA staff to determine if a
change has been detected by residence in bullying behaviors
KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL REASONING (Evans, et. Al, 2010)
Stage I:
Heteronormous Morality
Description: A student sees the world through a
black and white lens; what is right is determined
by obeying rules to avoid punishment, and so
individuals justify actions based on avoidance.
They do not consider the rights or concerns of
others.
Video Focus: To connect with students in this
stage by showing them the negative consequences
that bullying can cause. Another important aspect
to consider is the fact that students in this stage
are more focused on themselves, and this is also
addressed in terms of social media abuse.
Unfortunately, students do not necessarily see
cyber bullying as wrong, but this video reflects the
negative impacts that can occur.
Campaign Focus: The rest of the campaign shows
how social media should be utilized positively,
reinforcing how it can help the individual.
Stage II:
Individualistic Instrumental Morality
Description: A student in this stage is more focused on following the
rules if it is in his or her best interest. The individual in set on fulfilling
their own needs as opposed to understanding the needs and interests of
others.
Video Focus: It reflects the negative consequences on the self. Again,
now that the student has started recognizing their own needs, this video
will transition them to caring about the needs of others as well.
Campaign Focus: The campaign focuses on empowering the individual.
Students and staff are able to use resources, research, tips for
communication, and to attend the events. It is our hope that students
begin working to improve and enhance their emotional intelligence.
Stage IV:
Social System Morality
Description: The social system is viewed as being made up
of consistent rules and procedures applying equally to all
people. Individuals believe in a way that maintains the
system and fulfills societal obligations.
Video Focus: In the video, we see the downward spiral of
both the bully and the victim. This reflects that the system is
not aligned that people should be treated with respect so as
to not have this impact. Bullying does nothing but produce
negative consequences and does not fulfill societal
obligations.
Campaign Focus: It is an awareness campaign that supports
the development of a social system that does not include
bullying and instead actively works to decrease its presence
on campus. This is done through the accessibility of
resources, empowering students to share information on
social media and on the “Wall of Hate.” The hope is that
students in this stage will move effectively into the next
stage of committing to the campaign and message in the
video in promoting the anti-bullying message.
Stage III:
Interpersonally Normative Morality
Description: Focus on maintaining a “good person”
image to those around you and gaining approval.
Video Focus: It tries to avoid using the word bully in
the later half, in order to emphasize the overall impact
on everyone. This is where we start to build the idea of
social norms and that bullying should not be one of
them.
Campaign Focus: It serves to support the video in this
information. All the website materials reflect the
negative consequences of bullying. They also provide a
way for people to share their stories. We are now
moving away from the individual and toward social
norms and culture in terms of moral development. We
hope by providing ways for students to connect to the
community through various social media outlets.
Stage V:
Human Rights and Social Welfare Morality
(Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K., 2010)
Description: Laws and social systems are evaluated based on
the extent to which they promote fundamental human rights
and values. The social system is a freely entered social
contract to protect members’ rights and ensure welfare of all.
Video Focus: After being exposed to everything in the video,
as well as in the campaign, it is our hope that students will
buy-in to the elimination of bullying on our campus. At the
end of the video, both the bully and the victim are shown to
change their behaviors in positive ways. This is a reflection of
support for the system.
Campaign Focus: Throughout the campaign, students are
able to share stories on the website, access necessary
information to keep the social system in place, and to create
buy-in. The workshop series also functions to continue
support past the video and to open the conversation to
continue changing the campus environment.
Stage VI:
Morality of Universalizable, Reversible, and
Prescriptive General Ethical Principles
Description: Morality involves equal consideration of the
points of view of all involved in a situation. This is hard to
obtain and is the ideal we are trying to create on campus.
Video Focus: The video challenges individuals to rewrite
their stories, and to actively work toward a better
campus/world, especially from the perspective of the bully.
Campaign Focus: The whole campaign is meant to
empower students to make the changes they wish to see.
The hope would is to move students to a point where they
will stand up for this cause on their own.
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