By LAUREN BARTLETT
Features Editor
College and bullying aren’t typically two words associated with one another. Bullying is a term drilled into our middle- and high-school minds as something that is terribly wrong and holds great consequences.
Once one reaches college, most people forget that bullying is even an issue, because at this point in our adult lives, we should know that it is wrong.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. According to nobullying.com, a study in 2012 showed that 15 percent of college students reported being bullied, and 22 percent reported cases of cyber bullying.
According to stopbullying.gov, bullying is defined as unwanted aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. This behavior is usually repeated or has the potential to be repeated.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally and/or intentionally excluding someone from a group.
There are many situations in which dealing with bullying in college can be harder than one would think. Yes, one’s maturity level has grown, and as an adult, it becomes easier to tolerate others one may not necessarily enjoy being around.
However, when someone is sending another mean texts, putting things on Yik-Yak or making inappropriate comments, students may not always know how to respond.
As a 20-year-old in college, I believe that if someone doesn’t know how to respect another, he or she will not make it far in the real world.
If you have a problem with another student, a co-worker or someone you barely know, writing mean things anonymously or hurting them is the most immature way to handle it.
It’s sad that people who in their young-adult years are still using such childish forms of confrontation. It’s evident, based on the statistics, that even though we are adults, some of us still don’t act like it. And, if we haven’t grown up by now, we probably never will. Many of you reading this article may think that it is pointless or an issue that would never happen at Piedmont, but that’s where you’re wrong.
Whether you’re seven, 21 or 50-years-old, attending high school, college or working within your workplace, bullying is definitely a flop.
The best way to handle a bully is to rise above until you feel like the situation is being taken too far.
Then, you need to take further action. Or, you could always hit them with the wise words of Taylor Swift when she said, “All you are is mean and liar and pathetic and alone in life.”