WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., April 5, 2016 — Seventeen college campuses and nine rape crisis centers in West Virginia will join together today to host a pledge event between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to take a stand against sexual assault.

Students and staff are being asked to get involved and sign the national pledge, It’s On Us, which can also be accessed online at itsonus.org/#pledge.

WLU Title IX Coordinator Bridgette Dawson is in the College Union from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. offering information to students and staff while encouraging everyone to sign the It’s On Us pledge. This informational outreach activity continues on April 6, 12, 20 and 27 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. when resources will continue to be shared.

The national pledge states that signees will: recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, identify situations in which sexual assault may occur, intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given, create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.

West Liberty University offers many resources for sexual assault victims.

“Bringing awareness about sexual assault prevention, response and bystander intervention is essential to our campus community. Getting the word out is the only way to ensure those who need help know where to get it and those who can help know what to do,” Dawson said.

Additionally, WLU just completed a campus-wide online training of all employees that educates staff on just what sexual assault, sexual discrimination and sexual harassment are and how to deal with these issues in the workplace.

Other sexual assault awareness activities in April include:

• April 13-14, Clothesline Project visits on the Quad, coordinated through the Panhellenic Council of sororities

The Clothesline Project started in 1990 in Cape Cod, Mass. to address the issue of violence against women and the silence that follows. A vehicle for women affected by violence, it encourages them to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. They then hang the shirt on a clothesline to be viewed by others as testimony to the problem of violence against women.

• April 20: 4 p.m. viewing of You Can’t Thread a Moving Needle movie and discussion in the Alumni Room, College Union
• April 25, Saved Seat display in College Union

Bridgette Dawson, Title IX coordinator and Elizabeth Richter, student support coordinator, encourage campus to sign the pledge.

Also during the entire month of April, a Consent Poster Display will be visible in each residence hall and most buildings on campus, increasing awareness and encouraging active response to troubling incidents.

According to nationally reported statistics, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. The majority of assaults are never reported to campus administrators or law enforcement.

“We are joining the national pledge effort that asks all members of campus to not be a bystander to violence and intervene in any way you can,” Dawson said.

The West Virginia Intercollegiate Council Against Sexual Assault is hosting the social media pledge event using the “It’s On Us” Campaign. Participants can join the Facebook event page, 2016 SAAM West Virginia Day-of-Action. Hashtags include #ItsOnUs and #ItsOnUsWV.

The “It’s On Us” Campaign is a national initiative that seeks to engage college students and members of campus communities to make a personal commitment to take a stand and be a part of the solution to campus sexual assault.

Stemming from the efforts of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, “It’s on Us” aims to fundamentally shift the way we think about sexual assault. The campaign seeks to inspire everyone to see it as his or her responsibility to do something, big or small, to prevent sexual violence.

“Its On Us” is committed to creating an environment where sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.

Nikki Godfrey from the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services, the state’s sexual assault coalition, has worked with the Intercollegiate Council Against Sexual Assault for the past several years.

She stated, “through this collaboration, residential campuses in West Virginia have worked together to increase training for first responders, implement prevention programs on campuses and provide a more victim-centered approach. Attaining a college education should never include becoming a victim of sexual assault. This day-of-action allows students, faculty, administrators and advocates to raise awareness and show their support in promoting safer campus environments. Prevention is everyone’s responsibility, and together, we can make a difference.”

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