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WHEREAS, Carlow University is celebrating Women's History Month this year by hosting Jane Stapleton, a University of New Hampshire researcher who runs bystander intervention programs at colleges around the country and in Europe; and,
WHEREAS, bystander awareness is an evidence-based program that attempts to prevent sexual assaults from happening through an activist/collective/community culture of response; and,
WHEREAS, the goal of bystander awareness is to stop bad behavior before it crosses the line from drunken camaraderie to sexual assault; and,
WHEREAS, bystander awareness is a critical tool for both women and men; while the public discussion of sexual violence has primarily focused on physical and emotional violence to women, arrest for sexual assault can do irreparable harm to a young man for life as well; and
WHEREAS, Jane was prominently featured in the New York Times recently on the positive effects of Bystander Awareness; and,
WHEREAS, on Jan. 22 at a White House meeting on sexual violence, President Obama released a report that cited the need for intervention, including the quote "Bystanders must be taught and emboldened to step in and stop it;" and,
WHEREAS, the hope is that bystander programs will have the same impact on campus culture that the designated driver campaign has had in reducing drunken driving deaths.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby proclaim March 25, 2014 as "Bystander Awareness Day" in the City of Pittsburgh.