The first 28 schools join a national campaign that aims to change the culture surrounding campus sexual assault.
TACOMA, Wash.—University of Puget Sound has officially partnered with It’s On Us, a national public campaign aimed at creating safe campuses by changing the culture surrounding campus sexual assault.
The Pacific Northwest liberal arts college is one of 28 colleges and universities across the country committing to the campaign launched by the Obama administration in 2014. The inaugural group of Campus Innovation Partner Schools will add their energy and resources to an effort supported by student leadership bodies, collegiate, and sports organizations, media, private companies, celebrities, and others.
As a Campus Innovation Partner School, Puget Sound has committed to uphold and implement the three pillars of the It’s On Us campaign: support for survivors of sexual violence, bystander intervention, and consent education.
The Campus Innovation Program aims to amplify the work that is already being done by students and administrators across the nation and to help institutions implement sustainable change. Puget Sound will be working directly with the Its On Us staff and its own student leaders as it moves forward.
“Over the last two years, we have done considerable work about sexual assault prevention and education, yet there is always more to do,” said Marta Cady, associate dean of students at Puget Sound. “The It’s On Us partnership will really assist Puget Sound in moving our programs and initiatives to the next level. It is so important to keep this topic in front of our campus community as we seek to bring about a more just world.”
The new program creates a network of campus administrators who can share best practices and resources. All 28 schools will also gain access to the Culture of Respect Collective, an online resource for self-assessment of campus sexual violence prevention programs created using evidence-based research, expert guidance, and the models of promising practices.
“We’re excited to launch our partnership with our It’s On Us Campus Innovation Partner Schools and to collaborate more directly with campus administrators,” said Rebecca Kaplan, director of It’s On Us. “This program will spark innovation and highlight institutions that are taking creative approaches to prevention education.”
Over the next year, It’s On Us will continue to build infrastructure across the movement to ensure that students feel safe and supported across campuses. The campaign also will expand the organization’s work outside of the campus environment and into the national conversation around ending rape culture.
About It’s On Us: It's On Us is a cultural movement aimed at fundamentally shifting the way we think and talk about sexual assault. It's a rallying cry, inviting everyone to step up and realize that the solution begins with us. Launched in September 2014, It’s On Us works to educate, engage, and empower students and communities across the country to do something, big or small, to end sexual assault. The campaign has three core pillars—consent education, increasing bystander intervention, and creating an environment that supports survivors. More than 380,000 people have taken the It’s On Us pledge online. Students have hosted more than 1,700 It’s On Us events on 534 campuses nationwide. To learn more, visit: ItsOnUs.org.
For the It’s On Us press release, see: ItsOnUs/press release.
To see the new, It’s On Us public service announcement, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqIQACxx9bo&feature=youtu.be.
Photo on page: A Take Back the Night march by University of Puget Sound students.
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