Alfred State College began partnering with the
White House and The Generation Project last semester for the campaign entitled
“It’s On Us.” The goal of this campaign is to “promote being an empowered
bystander and sending the message that it is truly on all of us to help
eradicate sexual violence on college campuses,” according to Nikkie Hockenberry,
coordinator of Equity, Inclusion, and Title IX located at Alfred State. The college
recently showed the film It Happened Here
during Ally week. The film was followed by a question and answer session with
the producer Marjorie Schwartz Nielsen and one of the subjects of the
documentary, Sarah O'Brien. The movie explored sexual assault on campuses
through the personal testimonials of five survivors from three schools along
with testimonials from college administrators, educators, mental health experts
and legal scholars. The video featured many students, faculty, and staff
talking about how the rape culture needs to end. The students described
surviving a sexual assault and how that when they reported the crime, people’s
reactions were disbelief, blame, and encouraged them to forgive and forget.
Sarah is a Vanderbilt
University student athlete who has mobilized other survivors and activists at
staged events, such as Take Back the Night and The Clothesline Project. She
presented a list of demands to Vanderbilt deans that have led to a revision of
Vanderbilt’s policies. Sarah said that the purpose of releasing the film was to
change intervention strategies at college campuses, empower people to tell
their stories and make change.
These students went to
college excited and ready to find their independence. It is a time in a student’s
life where they seek new experiences, make lasting friendships, find out where they
belong, and discover their passions. Experiencing a sexual assault robs them of
enjoying college to the fullest. As a result of the attack they had panic
attacks, did not feel safe, experienced anxiety, felt isolated, had difficulty
concentrating, and their grades dropped. 85% of rape incidents are committed by
perpetrators that the people know. “The worst part is knowing that my friend
did it,” said Erica Daniels.
“It’s On Us”, hence the
name of the campaign, seeks to create a safe environment for people who have
been victim to sexual assaults on college campuses and offer them support. It
is on us to not blame the victim, not to look the other way, step in, help
someone get home safely, and take responsibility. According to assaults that
have been reported, 1 in 5 college students are sexually assaulted. This is not
just a woman’s issue because men can be assaulted as well. 100% of the time it
is not the victim’s fault. Rape victims are the highest percentage of victims
that experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), more than any other
group.
Alfred State shows
support for the “It’s on Us” campaign through activities such as Take Back the
Night. This year during Take Back the Night the Chief of University Police
Leslie Kachurek talked about the free services that the campus police offer to
all Alfred State students. They offer referrals, change of room assignments,
escort services, counseling on and off campus, judicial affairs actions,
arrests, and order of protections. During the event the “It’s on Us” Alfred
State video was shown.
There are many things
that a person can do to stand up against sexual assault; obtain clear, verbal
consent, respect a person’s right to say no, sign a pledge to commit to
intervene, educate yourself and others on the issues, advocate for more rape
prevention education programs, youth violence prevention programs, participate in
a Take Back the Night march, and avoid blaming the victim. Their experiences showed how
they turned their tragedy into a springboard for change.
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