Town Hall On Bullying Prevention

CNN to host town hall on bullying policy

Posted: Friday, September 23, 2011 12:00 am
By Chase Brush / Staff Writer

The University will host CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” Town Hall special in which host Anderson Cooper will speak with students, families and experts about bullying and its prevention nearly a year after the suicide of Tyler Clementi.

In recognition of Bullying Prevention Month and in collaboration with Time Inc., Facebook and the Cartoon Network, the nationally televised event will aim to raise awareness of bullying and its implications.

The show will air at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9, according to a press release by Facebook and Time Warner — though the exact time and location of its filming has yet to be announced.

Clementi, who at the time was a first-year student at the University, jumped off the George Washington Bridge a few days after his roommate, Dharun Ravi, set up a Web cam in their Davidson Hall residence on Busch campus to capture and broadcast Clementi’s sexual encounter with an older man.

The special will also question whether legislation and media attention have helped prevention efforts on school campuses in the year following Clementi’s suicide, according to the release.

“[Rutgers] strives to promote the free exchange of ideas in an atmosphere of civility, inclusion and mutual respect,” said University President Richard L. McCormick in a statement. “The University is gratified that CNN recognized this and invited us to host this important event that is part of a wide-ranging national campaign to combat bullying.”

The event is part of a newly launched initiative from Facebook and Time Warner to help stop bullying by empowering people through social media outlets, like their “Stop Bullying: Speak Up Social Pledge” app, according to the release.

“The app is rooted in the fact that students, educators and parents have the power to stop bullying by speaking up when they see it occur,” said Marne Levine, vice president of Global Public Policy at Facebook in the release. “The launch of this campaign reinforces our deep commitment to the safety and security of kids everywhere.”

During the Town Hall special, members the University community will have the chance to engage in a dialogue about issues surrounding bullying on campus, according to the University’s press release.

Shana Taylor, co-president of Queer Straight Alliance (QSA), believes that the University’s characteristically diverse reputation and the events of the past year make for an ideal venue for the special.

“Obviously Rutgers boasts a really diverse atmosphere, so that fact that they chose us really puts a positive spin on things,” said Taylor, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore.

Jenny Kurtz, director of the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities, said any discussions that impact the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community — whether in private, at a campus program, or on a larger scale — are commendable.

“Many LGBTQ, or perceived to be LGBTQ youth and young adults have been the targets of homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic bullying,” Kurtz said via email. “I hope these ongoing dialogues will continue to raise awareness and impact positive change on the individual and systemic levels.”

Over the year since Clementi’s death, the University hosted a series of dialogues on behavior called “Project Civility,” initiated gender-neutral housing in select residence halls and started a special interest housing section focusing on LGBTQ issues called “Rainbow Perspectives.”

Charles Mott, co-president of the QSA, said the show would address an issue that is close to the heart of many people in the University community.

“It’s so funny, I think Rutgers is so underrated when it comes to people talking about diversity,” said Mott, a Mason Gross School of the Arts senior. “But we really have so many different people and so many different opinions.”

Mott said the QSA is the second-oldest student organization in the country dedicated to protecting the rights and welfare of LGBTQ students at school.

He also said the presence of a public figure like Cooper on campus would not hurt the University’s image.

“The name alone brings a lot of media, a lot of presence and prestige,” Mott said. “I think it’s going to have a really positive effect ... big names always do.”

The program’s message of anti-bullying, anti-discrimination and anti-hate seems to coincide with the agendas of many other student organizations on campus, Taylor said.

“They’re coming here for anti-bullying, which is a central thing that we want to focus on, especially with [yesterday] being the anniversary of Tyler Clementi’s death,” she said. “We want to educate against bullying people just because they’re different than you.”

CNN and Time Warner officials were unavailable for comment at press time.

“It’s great they’re having it here at Rutgers, because it gives students a chance to become politically involved and express their opinions,” Mott said. “It allows for a lot of discourse. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Cooper’s politics, the program is something we can all relate to.”