College marks one of the most exciting and monumental chapters in a young person’s life. It is a time often defined by independence, discovery, and new opportunities. Yet for many students, it’s their first time living on their own, which comes with a new set of responsibilities and risks — not only for themselves but those around them.
Whether addressing potential sexual misconduct, alcohol-related risks, harassment, or mental health crises, informed and engaged bystanders can disrupt harmful patterns and offer support to those in need.
Campus Safety spoke with Dr. Julia Beeman, Chair and Associate Professor of Department of Criminal Justice at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., about the critical need for campus leaders to create a culture where students learn how to recognize potential dangers and how to safely intervene. Here is our discussion.
Bystander Intervention on College Campuses
Campus Safety: What makes bystander intervention unique as it relates to college campuses?
Julia Beeman: College campuses are uniquely situated to form community, even at large universities where communities can be formed around dorm life, majors, and/or Greek life. And it’s this sense of community that builds a culture of looking out for each other.
CS: The bystander effect is a social and psychological phenomenon where people are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present, primarily due to diffusion of responsibility. How can colleges avoid or mitigate the bystander effect?
JB: Considering the research and my experiences in criminal justice in general, and bystander intervention specifically, it is imperative to create a two-fold culture on campus: 1) I care about my peers, and 2) I know what to do if they are in trouble. We have to change GroupThink — another psychological phenomenon where the desire for unity within a group leads to irrational decision-making — to a positive, and make intervening the norm rather than an anomaly. It is rooted in individual leadership and shared responsibility.
Related Article: 5 Ways Schools Can Encourage Students to Report Threats
CS: Can you point out any statistics that show the impact bystander intervention has, particularly as it relates to college campuses?
JB: One-fourth of undergraduate college women are sexually assaulted. While most of the research in bystander intervention is based upon hypothetical, “What would you do?” scenarios, attitudes about intervening are measured but not actual behaviors.
However, college women who had been victimized reported “anticipated regret” at a significantly higher rate, which meant they would be more likely to intervene than those who had not experienced victimization.
In one of the few recent studies looking at behavior, Kumar et al.(2025) measured empathic concern and moral foundations while examining actual bystander intervention. The researchers found those with higher levels of both empathic concern and moral foundations more likely to report fewer barriers and stronger engagement in intervention than those with lower levels.
CS: What strategies make bystander intervention effective?
JB: The Five Ds of intervention are identified as:
- Direct: Move to immediately intervene with, or provide assistance in, a situation
- Distract: Actions that while are not necessarily related to the situation, can disrupt the moment (e.g. approach and start a random conversation, start singing or dancing)
- Document: Use cellphone to record what’s going on, and share only with campus authorities
- Delay: Stand by and watch what’s going on to determine if intervention is needed
- Delegate: Reach out to peers/friends to assist
CS: What are some ways bystander intervention can be embedded in college campus culture, and can you point to any useful resources?
JB: Athletic teams, Greek life, and Res Life personnel being trained through various programs, including:
- It’s On Us: https://itsonus.org/athletics-playbook/
- StepUp! Bystander Intervention: https://stepupprogram.org/
- One Love: https://www.joinonelove.org/lms/training/
For additional resources and content on bystander intervention, visit https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/tag/bystanders/.
