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Mandatory Sexual Assault Prevention Course Required For All New OU Undergrads
By: Sara Brumfield | Athens Messenger
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With a national conversation happening about sexual assault, Ohio University has implemented a new online course to educate students about consent, bystander intervention and sexual assault. The program, called Not Anymore, is now mandatory for all new undergrad students, including transfer students.
According to OU Women’s Center Director Susanne Dietzel, offering the mandatory class is a requirement for the center as recipients of a grant from the Department of Justice for its Survivor Advocacy Program.
She said the online program is designed for college students and was tailored to meet the needs of Ohio University.
According to the program’s website, Not Anymore is an online program which educates students about consent and bystander intervention as well as the realities of sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses.
“It talks about ways these issues can be prevented. It takes students on a two- to three-hour journey through these issues,” Dietzel said.
The course offers a pre-test in which students answer questions relating to the issues and interactive segments to educate the user.
According to Dietzel, OU piloted the program two years ago with about 1,000 students in the university’s learning communities taking the course. Since then, OU has worked to fine-tune the program with the company to make it more suitable for OU students.
Not Anymore is mandatory for freshman and transfer undergrad students on the Athens campus. Current students must complete the course by Oct. 15.
“People I have talked with have appreciated the opportunity to learn about the issue,” Dietzel said of students’ response to the program. “They said it is appropriate for their generation and found it to be a genuine educational experience. They also felt videos were very realistic. Women students in particular appreciated the hands-on information.”
Dietzel said the program is inclusive in its portrayal of the student population, including those in the LGBT community. Not Anymore also provides helpful hints on how people can intervene if they see a problem.
In addition to the online course, Dietzel said OU is also working directly with incoming students in residence halls.
According to Dietzel, sex assaults on college campuses has always been an issue and said that OU has been working on issue during her eight years as director of the Women’s Center.
“What is working in our favor is that there is a national discussion going on regarding these issues,” she said. “Women are more likely to be sex assaulted during their four years of college.”
By offering the Not Anymore course as well as other initiatives, Dietzel said OU is ahead of the curve in its approach to the topic of sexual assault.
For information about Not Anymore and other resources offered by the Women’s Center, click here.