Randall Ischy (he/they) is Southwestern University’s Director of Violence Prevention. With a title like this, many may have an idea of what it is that Randall does, however, I can assure you that it is more than you think. 

Meeting in his office in McCombs, Randall’s warm and inviting presence fills the room. Perhaps it’s the wall art and trinkets lining the window sill, or maybe it’s the fact that this was one of the special days Randall brought his dog, Tim, to campus. Regardless of Tim’s distracting nature, I had the opportunity to learn more about the person who seems to make this campus feel safe for everyone. Hidden behind the glorious mustache and a warm personality lies a person passionate about the safety of students- whether from dating violence, Title IX violations, or even from just a bad day. 

Randall has been working with students for his entire professional career. They started off teaching high school Spanish, before moving on to work for the non profit organization Breakthrough Central Texas, which supports the education of first generation students. While working at the nonprofit, Randall got the opportunity to teach athletes about violence prevention. The program, Huddle Up, needed a Spanish speaker to teach major league baseball players about patriarchy, masculinity, abuse, and consent. This jumpstarted what would become a passion, and later a career. After being let go from the nonprofit, Randall began his job search and came across a position at Southwestern. The role and university was one that closely aligned with their values, so applying, and later accepting the position was almost a no-brainer. 

Looking more closely at what Randall does at SU, his role is to oversee initiatives for preventing sex-based violence on campus. Because his role is funded by a federal grant, there are specific things that must be done. This includes the Violence Prevention Taskforce that Randall leads, training SUPD, strengthening Title IX, educating students about violence and assault, and making sure departments are supporting each other.

While all of these roles are undoubtedly important, many people still don’t know exactly when they should contact Randall. He is here if you want him to talk to your organization about preventing violence, if you’re looking for support and resources, or if you’re just looking for a comforting person to talk to. Something great about Randall is that they are a confidential reporter, which means he doesn’t have to share the details about your situation with Title IX. Randall is one of the most supportive people I have met on this campus, and he is truly here for whatever you need. Their open door policy is emphasized, and he urges students to feel free to stop by his office regardless of if you have a situation about violence, or if you’d just like to chat. 

When asked about his favorite parts of working with students, Randall understandably had a lot of things to choose from.The most assuring though, is seeing students open up and be their authentic and genuine selves. He finds comfort in knowing that students feel safe around him, so much so that they can be just as weird as they’d like. 

I asked Randall about some of his goals for Southwestern, and how he plans to leave it better than he found it. Firstly, he shared the sentiment that he hopes his time at Southwestern is nowhere near up. While the exact effects of Randall’s effect on campus is impossible to measure; his presence is felt through workshops on bystander intervention, healthy relationships, and many many more. While many can hope his efforts will have a lasting effect on campus culture, they call simply helping people treat each other with more dignity a win on its own. His first taskforce meeting of the semester is October 1, at 11 am in the McCombs Ballrooms. 

Having the opportunity to work with Randall has been one of the best things about being a student at Southwestern. I believe I speak for most students that interact with Randall when I say that his presence on campus is one that we need. While most people know him for his mustache, they are a person you can go to for anything, even petting his dog. It is no doubt that Randall helps us all #besouthwestern.