LSU President F. King Alexander’s Task Force on Greek Life heard a presentation on Tiger BITes this week in its second full committee meeting.
Student Health Center Executive Director D’Ann Morris presented the program as an opportunity for students to learn and teach bystander intervention. Tiger BITes is a University initiative that started in 2016. Morris said the program is primarily focused on sexual violence intervention, but every skill involved in bystander intervention can be translated to any other risky behavior.
“If [the taskforce] encourage[s] Greek chapters to adopt this program, we have no problem adding curriculum to fit Greek Life,” Morris said. “This is higher education. It’s not just about what you learn in the books, it’s about what you learn from each other everyday.”
Morris said the Tiger BITes program encourages students to become responsible citizens even if they do not consider themselves “leaders.”
“Bystander intervention doesn’t mean you have to be the loudest or the bossiest,” Morris said. “You can intervene directly, or delegate someone else to intervene. If you see something is wrong and you know it is wrong, but you aren’t the kind of person to walk up, that’s okay.”
The goal of Tiger BITes is to make intervention the “norm,” Morris said, and she believes Greek Life is key in making intervention normal at the University.
“We want this program to be user-friendly, but we want it to be used,” Morris said. “Our biggest supporter and participator is Residential Life. They recognize that living in a learning environment, these skills are valuable.”
During her presentation, Morris read a quote written by the mother of Maxwell Gruver, the 18-year-old freshman who died in September as the result of an alleged hazing incident by members of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
“Be very aware that these situations can get out of control…look out for each other and be cautious,” Morris read. “Speak up if you see a situation that does not look right. If you’re noticing something doesn’t seem right — chances are, it’s not. Take action. Get help. Taking action takes courage — even if it seems like the unpopular route to take.”
Morris said one of the most important parts of Tiger BITes is that students become facilitators.
“Students in any situation are more likely to listen to their peers than an adult. That’s life and that’s always going to be the case,” Morris said. “As a member of the higher education community, that’s one of the best lessons I’ve ever learned.”
Morris said the program has seen an increase in the number of students sending referrals to the LSU Student Health Center about their fellow students. There has been a 27 percent increase among people who are identifying themselves when sending a referral. Students can also send in a referral anonymously.
“All intervention can be anonymous,” Morris said. “We’re not in any way suggesting that every single behavior gets reported. We’re just trying to help students live healthier, more responsible lives.”
Task Force on Greek Life chairman Rob Stuart said the group wants to hear from the public about the issues they are discussing.
“We want to hear from Greek chapter presidents about how they think we can stop hazing,” Stuart said. “We need to partner with Greek Life and Alumni, so we need their input. What does this partnership mean, and how can we do this together?”
LSU Student Government president Jason Badeaux said without the input of Greek chapter presidents, the task force is just “going around in circles.”
“Some things may look good on paper, but they might not work in practice,” Badeaux said.
The task force will not hold any meetings during the week of Thanksgiving, but Stuart said the subcommittees need to come up with specific questions or issues they would like particular input on when they resume after the holiday.
“It takes seven to 10 years to change a culture. So, this task force has the responsibility to begin this process,” Morris said. “You’re not doing this for yourself, you’re doing this for generations to come.”
