Visualize a map of UCSB and the surrounding community: the buildings like Davidson Library and Storke Tower; the sidewalks with people who walk, skateboard, or bike; the classrooms and lecture halls; the beaches and parks; the restaurants; and the residence halls and apartment complexes.
Now imagine, each time someone makes a single choice to use their words or actions to hurt someone else, a small red dot appears in one of those spaces. Each red dot represents an act of interpersonal violence (sexual assault/violence, relationship violence, or stalking) or a choice to tolerate, justify or perpetuate this violence.
- A red dot is the moment it takes to hit someone.
- A red dot is pressuring someone to have sex without their consent
- A red dot is showing up, unwanted outside someone’s work, class, or car.
- A red dot is make or laughing at a racist, sexist, homophobic, or xenophobic joke.
- A red dot is an individual choice to do nothing in the face of a potentially high risk situation.
These single red dots have added up to create a culture that allows sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. We don’t know how many are on our map—but we know there are enough to sustain rates of violence that are unacceptable to all of us.
Creating a culture shift that stands for no tolerance of violent and harmful thoughts, actions, and behaviors require a solution. On our campus map, green dots are they solution. A green dot occurs when someone uses their actions, choices, or words to make it less likely that a red dot will occur. Anyone can do green dots to help prevent interpersonal violence on campus and make UCSB and the surrounding communities safer places
- A green dot is someone checking on a friend or classmate they are worried about.
- A green dot is reaching out to a trusted person like an RA to intervene in a high risk situation.
- A green dot is posting a bystander intervention video on your social media pages.
- A green dot is having a conversation with friends and loved ones about how to be an ally.
Sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking can be reduced one green dot at a time. When enough of us do our part, the green dots will outnumber the red dots and less people on our campus and in our community will be hurt.