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LSU Greek task force looks to implement training program to combat hazing

6 years 5 months 21 hours ago Tuesday, November 14 2017 Nov 14, 2017 November 14, 2017 9:38 PM November 14, 2017 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - LSU President F. King Alexander's task force on Greek life held its second meeting Tuesday evening. The take away - possibly implementing "Bystander Intervention Training", or Tiger BITes, for all Greek chapters.

The program gives people the training they need to properly intervene in a situation where someone needs help. 

D'ann Morris with the LSU Student Health Center says although the program was not created specifically to combat hazing, she sees it working well.

"If someone witnesses a behavior that they believe is hazing, they can react in a manner of ways. They can directly intervene by trying to stop the behavior themselves; they can delegate by contacting an official or an unofficial person, or they can actually distract the behavior by causing a distraction and having others intervene on their behalf," Morris said.

According to Morris, currently more than 500 people on campus have received the five hour training, but it will take much more. 

"We know it takes seven to 10 years to change a culture, and we need to institutionalize a program like this so it becomes the norm, and in seven years from now, nobody will have to ask 'what is bystander intervention?' because these students will know it when they get here," Morris said.

Student body president Jason Badeaux, who serves on the task force and is also in a fraternity, says he sees the program working to combat peer-pressured situations like hazing.

"I think everywhere has an issue with peer pressure. It's just the nature of being in college, but what I think is important is that we're training our people to be responsible and hold each other accountable and step in whenever they need to step in and that's something we haven't done in the past," said Badeaux.

The task force will deliver its recommendations to the President in early January. 

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