Creating a culture of care and concern among Miami University students is one of the primary goals of the Division of Student Wellness.

Earning the Seal of Prevention from the Campus Prevention Network (CPN) for a fourth straight year is a sign the department is on the right track, said Rebecca Baudry Young, director of Student Wellness.

The CPN’s Seal of Prevention recognizes outstanding digital prevention work and campus contributions related to safety, wellness, and inclusion. Miami requires first-year students to take two online modules on alcohol education and sexual assault prevention before they start their initial semester.

Students also have a follow-up first-year experience course based on bystander intervention training. The program, called Step Up, lets students build skills and practice scenarios so they can intervene effectively and watch out for one another.

“The Seal of Prevention looks at particular components, but we go far beyond what is required with programs, events, and workshops all year long to talk about these topics,” Young said. “The power behind all of these initiatives comes from our students.”

Miami students were recognized recently for one such initiative. HAWKS Peer Health Educators, Miami’s peer education team for health and wellness, received the NASPA Peer Education award for 2023 Outstanding Program for “Students Fight Back: Stepping Up Against Violence.”

More than 600 students attended the event at Hall Auditorium, which was a collaboration with Intercollegiate Athletics and Miami’s It’s On Us chapter as part of the university’s bystander awareness campaign.

“They learned how students can be advocates against sexual violence and how they can have a voice on campus to change the culture,” Young said.

Only 10% of colleges and universities earned the 2023 Seal of Prevention. According to a release from CPN, the Seal of Prevention “represents the highest standard for online prevention education, with a rigorous set of criteria” that ensures schools are making a measurable impact across critical areas such as sexual assault, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, and inclusion.

Prevention courses can be crucial to academic success, Young said, noting that some of the biggest detriments can be anxiety, depression, and trauma.

“Receiving the seal four years in a row makes us realize the consistency we provide as far as education to our students is having the biggest impact,” Young said. “It really underscores the importance of evidence-based education.”