In the wake of AU’s now-infamous “EI scandal,” dealing with allegations of rape against the illegitimate fraternity, Epsilon Iota, the University is facing a heightened level of scrutiny regarding its response to sexual misconduct on campus.

Recently, American implemented a new bystander intervention program in replacement of its former collaborate Green Dot. As many students may already know from its mention on the University homepage, the new program titled Step Up! is calling for some serious soul-searching from the AU student body.

The purpose of the Step Up! program is to encourage bystander intervention on a multitude of fronts including, but not limited to, the prevention of sexual misconduct. “The core goal behind Step Up! seems to be to create a campus climate where everyone understands that looking out for the safety of others makes us all safer collectively,” said Abby Dunn, a senior.

Dunn, a member of PEERS, is passionate about the prevention of sexual assault and heavily involved with the Wellness Center. PEERS is a group of students headed by AU’s sexual assault prevention coordinator, Daniel Rappaport, that are trained to facilitate workshops on sexual violence, consent, dating violence, and stalking.

Going into the school year, Step Up! will also be having workshops and Step Up! trainings that campus groups can undergo. The hope is that these workshops will teach students when and how to intervene using the three D’s (direct, distract, delegate).

The timing of the program’s institution could not have been more ironic. According to Dunn, the University was already planning on introducing Step Up! before the EI scandal happened. But even if the program were introduced last semester or the one prior, it would not have changed much. According to a PDF file leaked containing more than 70 pages of uncensored material from EI’s listserv, the illicit behavior is proven to date back to at least 2012.

“Despite having taken some action after the EI scandal, the University still has not implemented mandatory sexual assault prevention education for all students. Therefore, the most important thing we as students can do is to take this education into our own hands by undergoing these trainings and keep pressure on the university to maintain progress on this issue,” said Dunn.

It’s no secret that plenty of students are concerned about rape culture on campus, especially in light of recent events. Just after the scandal was publicized, “The Fratergate AU,” an anonymous Tumblr page, was criticized for attacking EI and making false claims, but the blog quickly rebutted by attributing students’ blind allegiance to the Greek system as evidence of “the perpetuation of rape culture.”

On the blog, one anonymous commenter brought attention to the gravity of the issue. She said, “As a future female student who committed to AU just before all this came out, I’m really scared and very worried, about what this means for me and my peers in the future, and I’m not really sure what to think or do now.”