Hammond- On January 30, 2012, Tri-Parish Rape Crisis Program Coordinator Lorett Swank asked students in a leadership training class at Southeastern Louisiana University if they knew what happened when a lion chased a herd of zebras.

A few threw out suggestions, but Swank eventually answered her own question, explaining that once a lion captured one zebra, the rest stopped running and went back to grazing as the fallen zebra was devoured.

District Attorney Scott M. Perrilloux’s Tri-Parish Rape Crisis Program hosts the presentation, entitled “No Zebras,” to teach college aged youth about bystander intervention.

“It is important that we create a culture where sexual assault, no matter what the circumstances, is considered universally unacceptable,” said Perrilloux.

According to the TPRCP, “No Zebras is the first program to focus on bystander mentality, addressing the impact of intervention on situations of sexual aggression. It stresses sexual aggression can no longer be ignored, empowering students to stand up, take a stand, and help keep others safe.”

Swank relayed these principals to students by discussing past and current events regarding bystander intervention and sexual assault, and opened the floor for class discussion. Students were then able to voice opinions, concerns, and respond to each other’s statements.

The leadership training class, composed entirely of athletes, is designed to teach students the different characteristics, attributes, and skills of leaders, said instructor Chris Bentley. “As a leader, they need to learn to stand up for their beliefs, not only when they are with their team, but out in public,” she said.

“The Bystander Effect is an interesting phenomenon,” said Swank, “It refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress. In recent news, the events that took place at Krystal Hamburgers in the French Quarter between a LSU and Alabama fan, is a perfect example of the Bystander Effect. An individual committed a sexual battery on an unconscious victim while a crowd of people cheered, took pictures, and videos. It has become important for us, as a society, to intervene in sexual assault cases. No longer can we merely educate "potential" victims to avoid their victimization, instead, we must think of ways to intervene and stand up for victims that cannot protect themselves.

The lesson was concluded with a single question from Bentley, “Can you step up and be a leader?”

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