The following is an opinion article, and opinion articles do not reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo

The Tulane Office of Violence Prevention and Support Services made a step in the right direction last semester with the launch of One Wave, a bystander intervention program. Even with this positive move, One Wave still lacks the publicity needed to make the overarching impact it aims for. 

The national conversation about sexual assault is changing. With the support of juggernauts like the feminist movement and the White House, people are working to create a culture that not only has a less permissive attitude towards gender-based violence, but a punitive one. 

The best way to achieve this change: education. 

One Wave works to provide this education. The program works to change students from passive bystanders to active or “One Wave” bystanders that smartly intervene in potentially dangerous situations to create a safer environment on campus. Focusing on bystanders can mean avoiding the victim-blaming that can come with programs that try to prevent assault by educating potential victims. The more students that One Wave can successfully convert into educated bystanders, the more it can change the Tulane student body’s culture into one that does not allow assault to occur.

To change the mind of the Tulane community, however, One Wave must have more publicity. Though many students may have seen flyers and advertisements containing One Wave’s name, few students can say what it is. This program cannot expect to create a safe campus with only a few students working toward this goal. It needs the collective effort of a large and diverse group of Tulane students and faculty disseminating information and changing behavior. 

As a university, Tulane works to keep up with the best practices in regards to eradicating sexual assault and other types of violence on campus. The launch of One Wave demonstrates Tulane’s commitment to creating a safe campus environment. If Tulane truly wants to ensure a safe campus culture, however, the university needs to invest in pushing existing programs like One Wave to the public. 

Emily Carmichael is a freshman in the Newcomb-Tulane College. She can be reached for comment at [email protected]