Anoka-Ramsey instructor has an action plan to disrupt further vandalism from occurring.

By: MiKenzi Coons

Staff Writer

In the fall of 2016, unknown people vandalized parts of the Visual Arts building with racialized epithets. In response, sociology instructor Kirsten Olsen created a student survey to analyze how often students receive or witness harassment, including race and religion-based attacks.

After the student survey results were analyzed, Olsen is putting into action a plan to educate students on the problems of harassment along with alternatives to these negative actions.

This semester, Olsen has been speaking in classes, educating students about bullying and cyberbullying and how to prevent and stop it.

“Some people get really emotionally damaged from [harassment] so it’s really important that we try to take hold of [harassment] before it happens and gets that severe,” said Evelyn Vladika, a student who was in one Olsen’s lectures on harassment.

“Bullying is the third leading cause of suicide for Americans aged 15-24,” said Olsen in her lecture. After her talk, students were split up into groups to discuss different bullying scenarios and possible outcomes that they could use to stop or prevent it from occurring again.

“One hour and fifteen minute discussions about [harassment] is good.” But in the long term, Olsen said, “hearing it several times in different settings is much better.”