‘Violence has no place on our campus’ — UK strengthens commitment to campus safety with ‘Green Dot’ program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2025) — Imagine a world where every individual plays an active role in preventing violence — where simple actions lead to a profound impact on creating a more safe and supportive community.

This is the vision behind the “Green Dot” program — a nationwide strategy aimed at reducing interpersonal violence through everyday actions.

At the University of Kentucky, the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center, housed in the Office for Student Success, is working, through the “Green Dot” program, to empower students, faculty and staff to recognize and intervene in situations that could lead to violence.

“At VIP, the mission is clear: everyone has a role in ensuring that interpersonal violence has no place on campus or in our communities,” Lenzi Dodgen, acting director of the VIP Center, said. “The ‘Green Dot’ program encourages people to shift from being passive bystanders to active participants to eliminate violence — offering practical tools and strategies for intervention. Whether it’s confronting harmful behaviors, offering support to someone in need or simply creating a distraction, these ‘green dots’ can make a significant difference in preventing sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking and more.”

From 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, the VIP Center will invite students to the “Green Dot” Bystander Workshops in the Gatton Student Center. Participants will learn the basics of bystander intervention strategies, understand how small actions can disrupt harmful situations and prevent violence, and gain tools to promote a culture of safety. Students can sign up to attend on BBNvolved.

“Whether you’re new to ‘Green Dot’ or looking to enhance your skills, the event offers practical steps for making a difference,” Dodgen, who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the UK College of Social Work, said. “Together, we can create a community where everyone feels valued and protected.”

Dodgen emphasizes that you don’t need to wait for a workshop to start applying “Green Dot” practices. In the Q&A below, she shares simple steps you can take right now to help create a safer campus for all.

UKNow: First, tell us a little bit about yourself and why you’re passionate about advocacy work.

Dodgen: I’ve been working in the advocacy field for almost 18 years now. I was draw to the work in my early 20s, because I have my own lived experiences. I believe we can live in a world without interpersonal violence. Albeit challenging — I don’t feel like this is unrealistic. We have already made progress, and we have more work to do.  

UKNow: For those who are new to the program, what is “Green Dot?”

Dodgen: “Green Dot” is a nationally recognized violence prevention strategy focused on preventing interpersonal violence (sexual violence, intimate partner violence, child abuse, elder abuse and stalking). By inviting everyone to reconsider their role in preventing violence and shifting social and cultural norms, “Green Dot” sees all community members as potential active bystanders and seeks to safely engage them in violence prevention by empowering them with the tools to do “green dots” — small, individual and manageable actions and behaviors that express intolerance for violence.

UKNow: Why is the program called “Green Dot”?

Dodgen: Think of a movie about an epidemic spreading throughout the world. The epidemic is typically depicted by red dots covering a map. In the “Green Dot” strategy, we use the image of our local community map, but instead of representing cases of a disease, each red dot represents someone’s decision to do or cause harm to another. Bystanders are trained to recognize “red dots” (words or actions perpetuating or leading to violence) and to replace them with proactive or reactive “green dots” (behaviors, words or attitudes promoting safety and communicating intolerance for violence). As community members practice green dots, intolerance for violence is modeled, and new norms are created. The community “map” begins to turn “green” as the red dots are displaced by the green dot actions, leading to a reduction in violence.

UKNow: For those who attend and participate in a “Green Dot” training, what will they gain?

Dodgen: Through “Green Dot” training and workshops, you’ll learn how to identify concerning behaviors, identify personal barriers to safely and comfortably intervene and take action to support a safer campus. By replacing “red dots” — instances of violence or harm — with proactive “green dots,” individuals help foster a culture of safety and respect.

UKNow: Why do you believe it’s important for everyone, not just those directly impacted, to take part in creating a safer environment? 

Dodgen: Survivors who have experienced interpersonal violence already have a deep and nuanced understanding of the need for violence prevention work. However, survivors cannot do this alone, and it would be unfair to task survivors with the burden of solving this problem when they didn’t create it to begin with. This is going to take courage and commitment from all of us — individually and collectively — if we are going to be successful at moving the needle and making a difference.

UKNow: For members of the UK community, what are some steps they can take right now to help create a safer environment?

Dodgen: Below are some steps people can take:

The three D’s of Intervening

• Direct – Say something to the person doing the harm, or to the person being harmed to address the impending red dot (e.g. “That’s not appropriate” or “Do you need help?”)
• Distract – Create a silly (or not so silly) distraction to divert people’s attention away from the harmful red dot behavior (e.g. pretend to be lost and ask for directions or press the panic button on your car keys if your car is nearby — it works!)
• Delegate – Seek assistance from another person or bring the situation to the attention of someone better positioned to intervene (e.g. outgoing friend, party host, residence life staff, club advisor, team captain, etc.).

Reactive Green Dots

• If you see someone in a situation where non-consensual sexual activity seems imminent, say something directly, create a distraction, or get somebody else to say or do something to stop it from happening.
• If you’re at the movies or a restaurant and a couple nearby is arguing loudly or one of them seems controlling, say something directly to them, create a distraction by asking them their advice on one of the movies or about the food, or delegate by asking one of the wait staff or workers to check in on them.
• In class or at work, if there is someone everyone picks on or excludes from social activities, check in on them or invite them to eat with you.
• If you’re worried about a friend, family member, or acquaintance, check in on them.

Proactive Green Dots

• When you see a story about dating or sexual violence, share why it makes you angry or why its coverage makes you happy.
• When you see a story about something great a bystander did, share it!
• Let people know what you stand for — verbally, with your actions and with your presence on social media.
• Post about Green Dot on your social media accounts.
• Get involved: attend a Bystander Training or volunteer with the Green Dot program!

UKNow: How can individuals overcome the fear or hesitation they might feel when it comes to intervening?

Dodgen: First, it’s OK to acknowledge that we all have barriers. Sometimes, intervening can feel awkward, overwhelming or even anxiety-provoking. Second, once we know we have barriers, we can begin the process of finding the root of those barriers and explore various tools we can use to overcome them. Barriers don’t magically disappear overnight, and “Green Dot” workshops aim to help people practice the different intervention tools in a variety of situations to help us become more comfortable. The more we practice, and the more we see others practicing active bystander behavior, the more it becomes the social norm. And this is how we can all play a role in making our campus safer.

UKNow: How do you envision the future of the Green Dot program at UK and beyond?

Dodgen: The vision is to expand our “Green Dot” education outreach — with the goal of having every student, staff and faculty member trained on how to be an active bystander. We want to prevent interpersonal violence before it happens — ultimately, reducing the rates of interpersonal violence on our campus and developing a culture of safety and respect for all of us to thrive. This is a lofty goal, and it’s going to take time and effort from everyone. We will rise to the challenge together.

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To request a “Green Dot” presentation for your class or group, email vipcenter@uky.edu.

If you, or someone you know, has been impacted by sexual assault, UK offers free and confidential survivor support and advocacy at the VIP Center. Please call 859-257-3574 or visit uky.edu/vipcenter. A variety of other resources can be found at studentsuccess.uky.edu/get-help.

Additionally, you may report any incident of harassment or sexual assault as a member of the UK community to the Title IX Coordinator at 859-257-8927 or visit their website at oeo.uky.edu.