‘Bully’ producer to lecture tonight

Trey Crumbie

Bullying can have a significant impact on people’s lives. It can occur in school, the workplace and at home.

Cynthia Lowen, an award-winning film maker and writer, produced and wrote the documentary “Bully.” The film shows the lives of those affected by bullying.

Sharon Hartz, budget coordinator for the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, said bullying is a huge problem and it is up to everyone to know about it.

“We all need to educate ourselves on how to identify it, how to deal with it, maybe try to prevent it,” Hartz said.

Lowen will speak tonight at 7 p.m. in Van Meter Hall Auditorium. The presentation is free.

She has frequently lectured on bullying and how it relates to school climate and culture and has written numerous articles about the subject. She has also appeared on several radio and television programs to promote her movie.

During her lecture, Lowen will speak about what bullying is and how to prevent it.

Hartz, who is a part of the committee that invited Lowen to campus, said because of its prevalence in schools, bullying would be a topic a lot of people would be interested in.

“This is a widespread issue right now,” Hartz said. 

The event is presented by the College of Education and Behavioral and the Sciences Mary E. Hensley Lecture Series, a series of lectures dedicated to Mary E. Hensley, an educator from Clay County who received her bachelor’s degree from WKU in 1952. 

Hartz said the lecture series aims to tell people, including educators and parents, about problems and solutions regarding education.

She hopes people come to the lecture.

“No matter what your stage is in life,” Hartz said, “I think it will be interesting and informative to everybody.”