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‘Green Dot Week’ builds awareness of sexual assault prevention

Change your profile picture! Green Dot Week organizers are encouraging members of the College community to change their Facebook profile pictures to the image above.
Change your profile picture! Green Dot Week organizers are encouraging members of the College community to change their Facebook profile pictures to the image above.

Connecticut College is celebrating “Green Dot Week,” a week-long series of events and activities designed to raise awareness of the College’s Green Dot program in which students, faculty and staff are trained to help prevent power-based personal violence, including sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

The Green Dot program is part of the College’s broader Think S.A.F.E. Project, managed by Darcie Folsom, director of sexual violence prevention and advocacy. Originally developed and funded in 2010 through a three-year, $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, the Think S.A.F.E. Project addresses sexual assault, dating violence and stalking by integrating prevention and response training and education into the campus culture, building a community coalition and enhancing victim services. When the three-year Department of Justice grant work was completed in 2013, the College took on this important commitment with support from College funds, and named Folsom to her current position.

“The Green Dot program empowers individuals at Connecticut College to join a community of proactive bystanders who put forth a collective effort toward the prevention of sexual assault. It is an agent of positive cultural change, providing an education that benefits students far beyond their four years on campus” said Jackson Murphy, a member of the Class of 2014 and an intern with the Think S.AF.E. Project.

The week’s activities include:

  • “So What's With The Green Dot?” Monday, Feb. 3. Students wear Green Dot gear, an information table is staffed throughout the day in the student center and students who have completed the Green Dot training – and Green Dot supporters – change their profile picture to the Green Dot logo.
  • “Green Dot Trivia in Cro Bar,” Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 10 p.m., in Cro Bar on campus. In partnership with the Student Activities Council, a Green Dot Trivia game will focus on Green Dot, power-based personal violence and the Think S.A.F.E. Project.  
  • “Green Dot Bingo,” Thursday, Feb. 6, 10 p.m., in the 1962 Room of the student center. In partnership with the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership Education, a Green Dot-themed Bingo game will include green prizes and trivia between Bingo rounds.
  • “3rd Annual Green Dot Hockey Game,” Saturday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m., Dayton Arena. For the 3rd consecutive year, the Men's Ice Hockey team is collaborating with the Think S.A.F.E. Project to raise awareness of Green Dot. The first 300 fans will receive free Green Dot swag!
  • “Green Dot Training,” Sunday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This student-only training program will prepare 50 students to join the 448 students previously trained at Connecticut College in the Green Dot program.  

Folsom and two students, Alia Roth ’14 and Jackson Murphy ’14, traveled to Hartford last week to meet with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is providing leadership at a national level on the issue of sexual assault on college campuses.

“It is crucial that our legislators in D.C. are paying attention to the issues of sexual assault on college campuses and that they hear directly from the students so they can understand the concerns students have as well as the progress activists are making on their campuses,” said Roth.  “The work that is being done at Connecticut College has been instrumental in creating a culture shift in how these issues are viewed and discussed among the student body.”

In addition to the Green Dot program, Connecticut College’s Think S.A.F.E. Project also includes:

  • SafetyNet peer education provided by upperclassmen who are trained on the topics of sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. These students provide educational programs to student groups and residence halls and assist in planning awareness activities, particularly during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and
  • One in Four, an all-male sexual assault awareness and prevention group that takes its name from the oft-quoted statistic that one in four women will experience sexual assault or attempted sexual assault in their lifetime.
  • , a group of representatives from Connecticut College and the local community who meet regularly to ensure a comprehensive approach to improving access to services for victims, as well as increasing the likelihood of reporting crimes both judicially and criminally. The CCRT intends to increase access to services for survivors without compromising their safety. 

February 4, 2014