Forum in Litchfield Targets Bullying

[Kathy]

Forum in Litchfield Targets Bullying: Litchfield County Times
Here is an excerpt from the article:
By Max Wittstein
LITCHFIELD—In a town where some red-haired students were recently
kicked in an incident inspired by an episode of the animated show
“South Park,” and in a larger region that includes a school district
that lost administrators because of purported bullying and harassment,
a discussion held Monday had plenty of context.

The panel discussion with one parent and two professors from Central
Connecticut State University was scheduled at Litchfield High School
to discuss the growing phenomenon of bullying. (Neither the recent
bullying in Litchfield, nor the experience at Housatonic Valley
Regional High School in Falls Village led directly to Monday’s
session.)

Council’s Initiative

The event was set up by Betsy Fabbri and Lori Shuhi, president and
vice president of the Student Teachers Parents Council, as part of the
STPC’s programs to bring students and teachers together. Close to 30
parents and residents attended.

Dr. Katherine Hermes, a professor of history at CCSU, also spoke at
the event. Dr. Hermes pointed out that she was not an expert on the
phenomenon of bullying, but had joined the nationwide advocacy on the
issue after the suicide of her friend, Marlene Braun.

Ms. Braun, an Army veteran and 13-year employee of the federal Bureau
of Land Management, had been bullied by her boss over a difference of
opinion in the maintenance of a national landmark of which she as in
charge. She took her own life on Aug. 20, 2005.

The story of Ms. Braun’s death made headlines in the Los Angeles
Times. Ms. Hermes has since been an advocate against workplace
bullying, and has petitioned the Connecticut legislature to examine
the phenomenon in its state agencies, including the Connecticut State
University system, where she works.

“After 18 months of systematic bullying, this person, who had been a
U.S. Army veteran, put a bullet in her brain,” she said. “Many, many
people who don’t actually do it, think about it and have tremendous
mental and physical health consequences.”

Dr. Hermes said that by the time her friend took her life, she had
lost 30 pounds and was suffering from sleep problems.
“People would say to her, ‘Your boss is a jerk,” but we’re not talking
about jerks,” she said. “We’re talking about intimidation of someone,
such as telling them like a child that they’re not needed at a meeting
and should sit in a hall; physical intimidation that is not quite
hitting, such as backing them up against a wall. All those things are
bullying.”

For the entire article, see:
http://www.countytimes.com/articles/2011/03/31/news/litchfield/doc4d9484d0c24e5128402076.txt