It’s On Us: VSU Joins Movement to End Sexual Assault

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends are invited to join a growing national movement against sexual assault by taking the It’s On Us pledge.

VSU’s Office of Social Equity will host an open discussion about sexual assault, featuring the Counseling Center’s Holly Wright, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5, in the Student Union Ballroom. Every member of Blazer Nation is invited to stop by and sign the It’s On Us pledge. The pledge can also be found online by visiting http://itsonus.org.

A White House initiative, It’s On Us aims to fundamentally shift the way men and women think about sexual assault by inspiring everyone to see it as their responsibility to do something — big or small — to prevent it. The campaign reflects the belief that sexual assault is more than a crime committed by a perpetrator against a victim; it is an issue in which everyone has a role to play.

The It’s On Us pledge asks each signer to recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, to identify situations in which sexual assault may occur, to intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given, and to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported. 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and It’s On Us is part of VSU’s month-long action plan to end sexual violence. This year’s national campaign focuses on raising awareness about sexual violence and educating communities on how to stop it by encouraging and informing a wider audience on how they can take action to promote safety, respect, and equality.

“We’re strongest when we raise our voices together …,” according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. “We all have a role to play in the prevention of sexual assault.”

One in five women and one in 71 men have experienced rape or attempted rape in the United States, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

The 2017 Sexual Assault Awareness Month slogan is “Engaging New Voices.”

Call the Office of Social Equity at (229) 333-5463 to learn more about the It’s On Us pledge.