In August 2007, I arrived on the STAC campus almost the same as I was in High School when my High School Vice Principle defined me as having a bulls eye on my back for bullies.  I was 6’ tall and weighed 135 pounds.  Within a week of that comment, my parents, using that comment, got a commitment from the principal that I would never be bullied again at his school, I never was.  I was so excited, I arrived at STAC even before move in time. I was accompanied by my parents. My two siblings, both sisters, had already gone to their respective colleges. I listened to and followed all the rules about moving into my room.  I was going to have 3 roommates, the last time I had a roommate, I was a newborn, sharing the room with my twin sister.  My first two roommates showed up soon afterwards and they were nice guys.  About two hours later, the last roommate showed up and he was a horror.  He had a hundred pounds on me.  I was picked on from the start.  He did not care who saw it.  In front of his parents and mine, he told me that if I did not give him my dresser and bed he would wake me up every night in the middle of the night.  I said no way and went to find my resident advisor for help.  My mother stayed in the room.  Within a minute of me leaving the bully had knocked everything off of my desk.  My resident advisor came back to the room with me.  He listened to both sides of the story, which was almost exact.  Then he said work it out between yourselves.  Immediately, my father said that was not possible, aren’t you going to do anything to protect my son.  My resident advisor just left.  My mother took pictures of everything and said that if anything is touched, she would call the police.  Then we, mainly my father, talked to every STAC official that was available, from the president to the resident advisor.  Not one person even offered to look into it.  At that point, I went out to eat with my parents.  While eating, I told them that I wanted to come home.  They both said that it was my decision.  After eating, we went back to my room and was glad that no one was there.  We quickly packed up my things and left.  I brought my key to my resident advisor and told him that I decided not to stay.  He said it was for the best.  Sadly this told the bully that his actions got him what he wanted with no repercussions.  I continued at STAC as a student.  The rest of my time there, whenever the bully saw me, he deliberately, in my opinion, walked into me or brushed me.  No one was ever willing to do anything about it.  I was too embarrassed to ever tell my parents.

I am very impressed in the transformation at STAC, from totally condoning bullying to having “Thursdays in Black”, a campaign against domestic violence and bullying.

-Jared Holland