Simmons School of Education & Human Developmen Dean David Chard, Fort Worth city councilman Joel Burn, Dr. Suzie Fagg, CEO, Dallas ISD Executive Director of Student Services Dr. Evelyn Ashley and Executive Director of Resource Center Dallas Cece Cox, and retired rugby player Ben Cohen discuss the issue of the bullying of LGBT students and chilren during the “Stand Up Against Bullying” lecture Thursday evening. (Spencer J Eggers/The Daily Campus)

SMU addressed the recent movements to stop bullying during North Texas’ first anti-bullying education summit Thursday evening.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings declared this week “Stand up against bullying week,” adding in his proclamation that “nine out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

However, the panel, which consisted of educators, political leaders and community experts, emphasized the importance of tackling bullying as a whole, not just for the LGBT community.

 “Bullying is not an issue exclusive to lesbian, gay or bisexual students,” Cece Cox, CEO and executive director of Resource Center of Dallas, said.

International rugby champion and chair of the StandUp Foundation, Ben Cohen has dedicated his life to addressing bullying with a focus in the LGBT community.

“We are creating a movement that is fantastic,” he said. “We want to eradicate homophobia from sport.”

Cohen, whose father was brutally attacked and killed, is the first straight athlete to raise awareness and funds for anti-LGBT bullying through philanthropy.

“I want to bridge the gap between the LGBT community and straight community,” he said.

Honorable Joel Burns, a Fort Worth, Texas city councilman, said there is not one simple solution to the issue of bullying in Texas or in the world.

However, efforts have been made this year as two major bills passed in the Texas Legislature.

After it was reported that 32 percent of all students have been victims to bullying — either in person or through cyber-bullying — Texas created House Bill 1942, which aims to reduce bullying in Texas schools through intervention and prevention.

Before this bill was passed, victims of bullying had to transfer to a new school or be home-schooled. Now, the perpetrator or bully can be removed from the school or classroom.

“The state wide Texas House Bill 1942 requires that this is not a luxury to be thinking about anti-bullying, ” Cox said. “It’s a mandate.”

This bill also protects teachers.

“If teachers don’t feel protected, they may be in a situation where they don’t get enough backup,” Cox said.

Dallas ISD executive director of student services, Dr. Suzie Fagg has worked to implement policies in her school district, similar to HB 1942, since November 2010 to “empower students to stand up and not allow this type of behavior” to exist.

“We have a long way to go,” Fagg said. “I’m very proud of my school and my staff and what we have accomplished. Hopefully we will see a major change in terms of bullying and safety in our district.”

When a bullying case is reported in a Dallas ISD school, the school has 10 days to investigate the case.

Fagg’s goal, as well as the whole of DISD administration, is to make school safer and more welcoming for students.

While it is easier to implement these policies in grade schools, executing these same rules in universities is more of a challenge.

“Its hard for students who are only here for four years to undo what they’ve learned,” Dr. Evelyn Ashley, assistant dean of students at SMU, said.

Currently, SMU is working to educate students on what resources are available.

“We want to educate on civility — just to get people to be nice,” Ashley said.

Ashley admitted that it sounds like a simple task to teach students to be nice, but she also noted that bullying is a learned action as well.

Thus, the majority of the panel said that what needs to change is our culture.

“We are surrounded by messages of disrespect, violence, bullying and a lack of civility,” Cox said. “So our roles as grownups — regardless if you have kids or not — is to turn the tide and create a tide that we can engage with each other in conversation.”

Burns agreed, stressing that people should not be afraid to speak up and tell their story.

After his appeal to the city council appeared on YouTube, he realized that one person’s story can impact many.

“I thought I was talking to just a few people in Texas,” he said. “But it goes to show that when you stand up and get peoples attention…it really does impact people’s lives.”