President Obama launched a new campaign against sexual assault on Sept. 19 for college campuses known as, “It’s On Us.”

“I love the focus on the ‘It’s On Us’ campaign because it focuses on what each of us can do to make our community a safer place,”  Dawn Graff-Haight said, professor of health, human performance and athletics for Linfield. “All it asks of us is to do the right thing.

And because the majority of us are decent, caring human beings, working together we can make our community safer and ensure that our friends won’t be assaulted or affected by violence.”

Obama specifically reached out to young men to stand up for women being taken advantage of due to lack of or inability to give consent.

“We need men involved in this effort to address and prevent sexual violence, because men are also affected by sexual violence as much as women are,” Professor of English and Coordinator of the Gender Studies Program Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt said. “The issue of sexual assault is not just a gender issue; it is a human rights issue.”

“It’s On Us” is specifically designed to change people’s thinking on sexual assault on college campuses in particular.

Junior Special Lovincey, president of Students Advocating for Gender Equality, believes that the first step in combating campus sexual assault and rape is recognizing that it, in fact, it happens.

“Sure, it’s a societal problem,” Lovincey said, “But being at Linfield doesn’t make it any less of our own problem.”

“The number of women that are raped and sexually assaulted on college campuses nationally is alarmingly high,” Dutt-Ballerstadt said. “The best national estimate is 1 in 5 women experience some form of sexual violence in their college years.”
Some 200 colleges around the United States have signed on to have the “It’s On Us” campaign be brought directly to their campus to take its action.

“Linfield needs to be more transparent as to how they have dealt with this incidence of rape on campus and provide some active education to address the issue of sexual assault on our campus,” Dutt-Ballerstadt said.

Lovincey wants to urge students to stop sexual assault before it occurs, as the “It’s On Us” campaign advocates for as well.
“We need to see a push in preventative actions versus reactions,” Lovincey said. “SAGE and other groups across campus want to involve everyone in standing up and speaking out against sexual misconduct.” “We need the students, faculty and staff from every corner of campus to stand with us though,” Lovincey said.

While Linfield College is not directly involved or participating in the “It’s On Us” campaign, Dutt-Ballerstadt suggested that Linfield hold a community dialogue where students, staff and faculty can come together to discuss the issue of sexual assault and come up with proactive ways to prevent it from happening in the future.

“We can do a lot,” Dutt-Ballerstadt said. “There needs to be a major cultural shift in the way we think about women and their dignity. There needs to be a clear understanding that a sexual assault in any form is a crime.  There needs to be a culture of consent when engaging in sexual activities, and bystander training,” Dutt-Ballerstadt said.
Hence the campaign’s title, Obama is putting an emphasis on the fact that survivors of sexual assault should not fight the issue alone.

“This is on all of us, every one of us, to fight campus sexual assault,” Obama said. “You are not alone, and we have your back, and we are going to organize campus by campus, city by city, state by state.”

Rape and sexual assault are two of the most underreported crimes. About 12 percent of instances are reported. Of the percentage that does get reported, only a portion of those offenders are punished for their crimes.
“Studies have clearly shown that many victims of sexual abuse and assaults are often reluctant about making official reports about these crimes,” Dutt-Ballerstadt said. “They fear consequences, extensive investigations, being stigmatized, the perpetrator not being punished, and the victim not being believed.”

“It’s On Us” puts prominence on not just the work of survivors, activists and school administrators to stand up against sexual assault. The campaign points a finger at ordinary citizens and students, calling them to also be the ones to fight this issue.
“A data analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity shows that there is a wide discrepancy between the official numbers universities report and the numbers seen by campus and community sexual assault counseling centers or other places victims seek help,” Dutt-Ballerstadt said.

In addition to the call for all kinds of students to help stand against the issue, Obama does not want the responsibility to only fall on college campuses, though that is the primary focus of the campaign.
Dutt-Ballerstadt stresses the fact that the public health of Linfield must improve in order to keep its students safe and help them learn in a healthy environment.

“The issue of sexual assaults and rape on college and university campuses has become an epidemic,” Dutt-Ballerstadt said. “This is why President Obama has launched a national campaign to address and stop this form of violence again women by the ‘It’s on Us’ campaign. At the heart of this campaign is a serious understanding of ‘consent,’ ongoing dialogues and education about sexual assaults, support for the survivors, and a pledge to not be a bystander.”

“College is a time for personal growth, learning about the world and about ourselves,” Graff-Haight said. “Let’s make sure we’re all safe and secure so we can reach our full potential during the four years we’re in this beautiful place.”

Mikenna Whatley can be reached at [email protected]