It’s on Us is commencing 2017 with a Student Government Town Hall dedicated to discussing sexual assault prevention.

It’s On Us is a nationwide campaign started by the Obama administration to prevent sexual assault and support sexual assault survivors.The campaign has a significant presence on college campuses, including NC State.

Soraya Russell, the Director of University Affairs, currently plans logistics for the campaign, including the upcoming town hall.

“For this sexual assault town hall, the purpose is to bring in people who care about the issue but also people who might not have a grasp on what sexual assault really is,” Russell said.

At NC State, It’s On Us focuses on mitigating sexual assault through workshops and fostering an environment that supports survivors and condemns assault. Throughout 2016,  NC State’s chapter was active through social media and events on campus, such as the National Week of Action.

According to Russell, there will be a 20 minute speaking portion of the town hall for three speakers/experts to come in and delineate the resources available to students on campus as well as some common fundamental knowledge regarding sexual assault. There will be a larger portion of time for students to describe their experiences with sexual assault, to discuss flaws with the university’s policies around the issue and to address necessary areas for action/activism and involvement.

When asked about challenges faced by sexual assault survivors, Russell responded straightforwardly.

“A lot of survivors don’t want to report because they’re more scared that the university will look down upon them, not help them get justice or not support them,” Russell said. “I think the problem is that we don’t have a culture here where we’re welcoming a space where survivors are believed and have the resources to help them. That’s the issue here and on a lot of campuses.”

In 2016, the Women’s Center collaborated with It’s On Us throughout the National Week of Action and also spread awareness of rape and sexual assault throughout the year through their own events. The Women’s Center hosted “These Hands Don’t Hurt”, an event that focused on domestic violence prevention, and a Bystander Behavior 101 Workshop. “These Hands Don’t Hurt” is a part of domestic violence awareness month, which the Women’s Center hosts every year, and the Bystander Behavior 101 Workshop is amongst the center’s monthly peer educator workshop lineup.

“[The Women’s Center] does workshops and facilitations about how to prevent relationship violence from happening,” said Sara Forcella, the Rape Prevention Education Coordinator at the Women’s Center. “They talk about healthy relationships — what those look like; they talk a little bit about consent; they talk about resources we have on campus and other things along those lines, so that’s something else that we have.”

Although not directly connected to the It’s On Us campaign, the center helps increase student awareness of sexual assault on campus with events such as Take Back the Night and by hosting guest speakers. This year, Jackson Katz will be speaking on masculinity and men’s role in violence prevention in March, which ties into a new focus on intersectionality with people who are usually left out the preventative dialogue, such as men and members of the LGBT community.

On campus, fraternities and sororities are also working to support and include the LGBT community with regards to sexual assault prevention. Many have collaborated with the GLBT Center for SAFE Chapter training to be more inclusive of the LGBT community within their organizations and training, according to Winn Decker, a graduate assistant at Fraternity and Sorority Life and campaign advisor for It’s On Us.

“As fraternity members, we have to acknowledge that we have a role in this conversation,” Decker said. “What’s It’s On Us is trying to do is engage national fraternities and sororities so that when a fraternity on campus wants to start an It’s On Us philanthropy event or service event, that they have support from their national organization.

Nationally, It’s On Us plans to expand its presence at schools outside of traditional four year institutes. As one of the first universities in North Carolina to start working with the campaign, NC State may act as a model for schools that are looking to participate in It’s On Us.

“It’s On Us is really looking to grow at schools that aren’t necessarily represented right now, so we have a really low representation at historically black colleges and universities, minority serving institutes, and community colleges,” Decker said

In 2017, It’s On Us is striving to unite students and reach out to groups that might not be aware of sexual assault.

“As much as faculty and staff can try to change a culture on campus, ultimately, the students are the one making up the culture,” Forcella said.