Prevention, Education and Training
Sexual Violence Education and Prevention

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Sexual violence and relationship violence can be prevented by understanding what it is and treating others with respect. At St. Cloud State University we require students and employees to learn about harassment, discrimination and sexual violence with the intent to reduce these behaviors.
Recently the Minnesota State Board of Trustees changed its definition of consent to require affirmative consent prior to sexual conduct. If you decide to initiate sexual conduct you need to understand what this means.
Bystander Intervention
Students often witness situations that may lead to or involve sexual violence, relationship violence or stalking but don’t know what to do. These situations provide an opportunity to step in, stop what is happening, and make a significant difference in someone’s life.
Here are some examples of what a bystander can do:
- If you see a potentially dangerous situation, be willing to act, even if it means going against the crowd.
- Talk to your friends ahead of time about how they would like you to intervene if they are in an uncomfortable situation.
- Step in and separate the two people and let them know you’re concerned.
- Use a distraction to redirect the focus. “Hey, I need to talk to you.”
- Recruit others to help intervene.
Online Safety
Technology has provided abusers, harassers, and stalkers with a whole new set of tools. Stalkers and abusers are using these technologies, including caller ID, faxes, surveillance devices such as GPS, and keystroke logging on computers. For an overview of what these various technologies are, how abusers use them and how to protect yourself, consider the following resources:
What if someone is using their St. Cloud State email to harass or stalk?
Don't take cyberstalking lightly! It is a serious issue!
In fact, the Violence Against Women Act, passed in 2000, made cyberstalking a part of the federal interstate stalking statute.
Cyberstalkers target their victims through:
- Chat rooms
- Message boards
- Discussion forums