Spring 2018 Session Recap: Bystander Awareness and Action Workshops with Professor Maureen Scully & RIT Diversity Theater | Early Spring 2018
Dates: Tuesday, May 1, 2018 and Wednesday, May 2, 2018
All full-time faculty members, academic leaders, and staff who work closely with our students were invited to attend an interactive workshop which focused on bystander awareness, with included time for discussion, practice, role-playing (voluntary), and practical take-a-ways.
Professor Maureen Scully from University of Massachusetts in Boston has visited RIT several times to lead effective bystander awareness education workshops through AdvanceRIT in collaboration with RIT’s Diversity Theater. Tina Chapman DaCosta, Director of RIT Diversity Theater, has partnered with AdvanceRIT on several occasions to present interactive theatre-based workshops. In this event, Dr. Scully and Tina Chapman DaCosta offered a uniquely designed workshop using Playback Theatre, a form of improvisational theatre where participants share stories that are enacted on the spot. These stories formed the basis for shared learning and further reflection on how to support an inclusive climate. The event was hosted by AdvanceRIT in collaboration with Student Affairs, Division of Diversity & Inclusion, Title IX Office, Ombud’s Office, Human Resources, and several units within Academic Affairs.
Between the three sessions, there were 102 attendees consisting of staff, tenured faculty, department head/chair, and more. Initial survey results indicated that 94% of respondents agreed the workshop was a valuable use of their time, and 94% also agreed that they plan to take action to improve their own actions. One attendee said:
“It was a good workshop and it was helpful to be able to examine some previous situations which I didn’t realize that I could have spoken up or didn’t even know how to speak up or respond appropriately…”
Thank-you to Professor Maureen Scully, Tina Chapman DaCosta, and the RIT Diversity Theater for bringing bystander awareness issues to light and creating a safe place to practice how to take action!
Check out resources provided to participants at the session:
- AdvanceRIT Tip Sheets
- Bullying in Academia, The Guardian
- Bystander Awareness Background Reading Bibliography, Blake-Beard and Scully
- Bystander Intervention, RIT
- Mentoring Senior Women in STEM, Crosby
- Workplace Bullying References