Advocacy is defined by Merriam Webster as “the act of supporting a particular cause or proposal.” With so many amazing organizations and groups nationwide, it is easy to be an advocate for one thing or another.
However, few movements have ever been as perfectly tailored to college students as “It’s On Us.”
Initiated by Vice President Joe Biden under the Obama Administration in September of 2014, “It’s On Us” is a campaign founded to end sexual assault on college campuses, eliminate rape culture, support survivors and define the means of the bystander.
It is a known fact that one in every five women, one in every 16 men and one in every four trans* or gender nonconforming people will experience some form of sexual assault at some point during their college career.
Because of this, “It’s On Us” has aimed to educate students on consent, boundaries and everyone’s responsibility to make their campus a safe space, as well as how to make themselves available for survivors to reach out and speak up about their experiences in a way that supports them.
In 2017, West Chester University began to host its own “It’s On Us” events. Through the hard work of the center for women’s and gender equity, and other contributors such as the counseling center, the Office of Wellness Promotion and numerous faculty members, West Chester was able to receive a $30,000 grant from “It’s On Us” in the spring of 2018 to put towards future work for the movement.
With this, the Center for Women’s and Gender Equity set out to increase involvement and reach as many students as possible through activities and events where they could continue to carry out the core mission of “It’s On Us” of educating and empowering.
This year, West Chester’s “It’s On Us” week of action coincidentally lined up with the national week of action, starting on Oct. 22 and ending on Oct. 26. Throughout this week, numerous activities took place across campus for students to engage and become enlightened on topics, such as becoming an ally for survivors and an advocate for change.
Activities included spinning the wheel of boundaries, designing shirts and signing banners for survivors. Additionally, participants could take the pledge to recognize what consent does and does not look like, identify situations that are high risk for assault, intervene when you know things are not consensual and create a safe, nurturing area for survivors to share at their own pace.
Bre Tyska, West Chester’s “It’s On Us” student representative and third year Women’s and Gender Studies major, noted how fulfilling the response was from the students who chose to participate and educate themselves.
“A lot of people seemed to have a good time in an area that was meant to be good. It’s meant to show that we can have these conversations and it doesn’t need to make everyone feel so bad,” Tyska said. “We can have these conversations and let survivors know that they’re believed, and genuinely mean it.”
But just because the week of change ended on Friday does not mean that the work ends there. In fact, this work is not even close to being finished. West Chester’s “It’s On Us” plans to keep the conversation about protecting our campus and ending the stigma going all year long.
As a result of this week, the Center for Women’s and Gender Equity hopes to receive additional grants that they will put towards future events. In November, a meeting will be held to discuss plans for “It’s On Us’” involvement on our campus for the rest of the year.
Through this meeting, the volunteers hope to continue their spread of awareness as well as increasing support for survivors in ways such as updating information on confidential and non-confidential sources and making sure that all students know what to say when someone they know confides in them about an assault.
“A big thing is respecting survivor’s choice and believing them, because when we start doubting them, we’re not doubting just one, we’re doubting a whole group of people. You’re doubting everyone, past, present and future,” Tyska stated.
As “It’s On Us” continues to grow on West Chester’s campus, students should feel encouraged to take action and contribute to making our school safer for everyone. Whether there is an event taking place or it’s just a typical Tuesday, it is important to work daily to implement the message of “It’s On Us” into our everyday lives.
Once we realize that the prospect of having a safe and trusting campus truly is on us, the better we will be at creating the kind of strong environment that we deserve.
Ali Kochik is a first-year student English major. AK908461@wcupa.edu