Joe Salvatore, a Faculty Fellow in Residence at Third North Residence Hall and clinical professor of educational theatre in Steinhardt, has brought an anti-bullying campaign called “Project Pay Attention” to NYU.
This initiative, which urges individuals to pay more attention to the words they use, was piloted in Third North in 2011, but has now been launched campus wide earlier this semester.
The project aims to help students like LSP sophomore Anastasia Desilverlake, who was bullied in her sophomore year of high school.
“Nobody ever helps,” she said. “I had a really tough time getting through it, knowing that I was all by myself.”
Christopher J. Stipeck, assistant director of residential life, said people challenge themselves to think intentionally about their actions and language choices.
“Far too often, we use language that can offend others or make them feel uncomfortable,” he said. “We know statistically that if people speak up for others when these type of incidents are occurring, others will too.”
The first step in the program is to sign a pledge to help the cause.
Stipeck explained that the pledge asks students to speak up for others, choose their words wisely, track their online behavior, inquire why, challenge themselves, and spread the word about the initiative. The pledge can be found in any NYU residence hall, and students receive a pledge card, bracelet, sticker, and magnet when they sign it.
“There was a sign up table in the U-Hall lobby, and there is a collage of Pay Attention cards of all the people who vowed to do so hanging up in front of the information desk,” said Sabine Teyssier, an LSP freshman living in University Hall.
Teyssier pointed out that the project could be especially beneficial to raising awareness about cyber-bullying.
“Especially since the words used online can be interpreted in different ways, its good to be reminded of the fact that what one thinks is careless humor could actually feel like a personal attack to another person,” she said.
Project Pay Attention has had over 2,500 students and faculty take the pledge so far. It has also had 1,800 YouTube video hits in the first month, almost 500 likes on Facebook and 200 followers on Twitter, according to Stipeck.
Hannah Bertles, a sophomore in GLS supports the program because she has been personally hurt by others’ words.
For instance, having people describe a negative situation as “gay” or using derogatory words for homosexuals as an insult, whether joking or serious, has bothered Bertles ever since high school students made fun of her gay father when he came out of the closet.
“At that age kids were using homophobic slang without truly understanding the meaning or the possible affect it might have on others,” she said.
To address these situations, Project Pay Attention, has reached out to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Student Center, as well as the Center for Multicultural Educational Programs on campus, for input on and support of the initiative.
PPA has also been contacted by other schools and groups who are interested in implementing the program at their locations, and other institutions such as Barnard College have already expressed interest in starting local programs.
The PPA team aims to make it an annual, on-going initiative so that the NYU community can continue to work towards its goal for a more inclusive campus.
For more information, please visit projectpayattn.com.
Pia Brar is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
