The BeVOCAL Model

BeVOCAL is designed to address multiple types of harm and enhance an individual's confidence to intervene. The BeVOCAL initiative seeks to promote intervention as a norm of our community, and in turn change the campus culture. BeVOCAL is unique, as it is designed to build on the existing expertise of campus partners and unite them by using consistent language, content and messaging. BeVOCAL believes that while the issues or types of harm may be different, the action steps to intervention, potential barriers and resources are consistent.

BeVOCAL Steps to Intervention

Step 1: Recognize Potential Harm

What can harm look like?

BeVOCAL works with partners across campus to address harm, including but not limited to:

What constitutes an emergency?

Anything that requires immediate or urgent response. If you identify an emergency, call 911 immediately.

Spectrum of Care and Harm

The spectrum of care and harm refers to the different ways that bystander intervention can be utilized to prevent and reduce harm while also cultivating a culture of care. Often when people think of moments of harm, they imagine or reflect on imminent harm, such as alcohol poisoning, a physical or sexual assault or an accident with serious injuries. In addition to imminent harm, BeVOCAL recognizes harm that can occur in our cultures and environments and encourages Longhorns to consider how their everyday actions and language might reduce potential harm and promote care. Similarly, we ask that Longhorns also consider their role in supporting anyone who has experienced harm after an incident has occurred. Understanding our responsibility to listen and offer resources post-incident plays an important role in recognizing harm and caring for other Longhorns.

Step 2: Choose to Respond

Choosing to respond is a balance between recognizing harm and quick assessment of the situation. There are a number of common barriers that a person might need to overcome to be motivated and willing to intervene. BeVOCAL promotes strategies to help reduce these barriers and empower individuals to assume personal and collective responsibility.

Barriers to Intervention

Motivations to Intervention

• “I know it’s wrong and others are probably thinking the same thing.” The idea that an individual identifying the potential harm inherently knows the situation is wrong, assumes that others are also thinking the same thing, and therefore takes it upon themselves to take action.
• “I care about the person being impacted.” The idea that an individual identifying the potential harm cares about the individual being affected. This person could be our friend, partner, roommate, student, classmate, fellow organization member, sister, brother etc...
• “I’m afraid of what will happen if I don’t do anything.” This is the idea that the person noticing the potential harm is afraid of the outcome if they don’t take action.
• “I’ll feel better knowing I did something.” This is the idea an individual would be more at ease themselves if they acted.
• “I would want someone to help me if I was in that situation.” This is when the individual noticing the potential harm imagines themselves in the situation they’re noticing and hopes that if they were in that situation, someone would say something and help.
• “I have friends here who can back me up.” This is the power of a peer group. When the individual noticing a situation knows that their friends will help them intervene and take action in the situation that’s occurring.

Step 3: Take Action