“Culture-Bearer, Culture-Sharer, Culture-Changer”: The Role of Faculty in Preventing Sexual Violence on Campus

Abstract

Sexual violence is a prevalent issue on university campuses today. Bystander intervention programs, which frame violence as a community problem, are a possible solution to address the issue of sexual violence on campus. As members of the university community, faculty can play an integral role in preventing sexual violence on campus. However, little research has assessed faculty members’ perceptions of their role on campus in the prevention of sexual violence. In this study, three focus groups were conducted with ten faculty members who had participated in a faculty-focused bystander intervention workshop. Researchers coded the narrative data from the focus groups and three themes emerged about faculty members’ perceptions of their role on campus: 1) modeling bystander behavior, 2) ally to students, and 3) changing cultural norms. The study findings reveal that faculty see themselves as having varied roles in the prevention of sexual violence on campus. Social work faculty can use their unique skillset to raise awareness among their faculty colleagues about the need for bystander intervention training for all faculty. The findings also reveal important implications about including faculty in bystander intervention programs in order to change cultural norms around sexual violence on university campuses.