“It’s On Us,” a campaign to end on-campus sexual assault, is coming to Wittenberg in Jan. 2015.
In mid-Sept., the Center for American Progress – alongside the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health – brought forth the national campaign “It’s On Us” to raise sexual assault awareness on college campuses.
According to Casey Gill, dean of students, this is “a campaign to get faculty, staff and students on board to stand up and realize that everybody plays a part in sexual assault prevention, and changing the culture not only on our college campuses, but I think in society as a whole.”
The intent of the campaign is to raise awareness to campus sexual assaults, provide preventative methods and expectations, and spearhead a “proactive education – prevention campaign.”
Within the first few weeks of students returning from winter break, Wittenberg will have a “Blitz to campus” day, in which the Wittenberg administrative planning groups will provide education to promote sexual assault prevention, while also offering students a chance to all come together to sign the pledge to be conscious of and aid in sexual assault prevention and awareness.
Gill and the student development office have been working with other campus organizations to plan the event. The groups are currently brainstorming for the day, and tentative ideas include giving away items with the campaign’s logo, offering informational points that faculty/instructors can give to students, and bringing a banner for everyone who took the pledge to sign. Gill said there’s talk of creating a PSA to raise awareness prior to the event, as well as potentially ringing the Myers bell on that particular day in order to honor sexual assault survivors.
“The pledge is really that people understand that non-consensual sex is sexual assault,” Gill said. “They can identify situations in which sexual assault may occur; that they intervene in situations where consent has not been given, and they create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.”
Students don’t have to wait until January to take action. They can sign the pledge now on the organization’s website, ItsOnUs.org