UC It s On Us Campaign Launches as Movement to Prevent Sexual Assault, Violence

University of Cincinnati leadership—from the president and provost to the football coach and student government leaders—headline the new

UC It’s On Us

campaign, which addresses the role we all have to play in preventing sexual assault and violence on college campuses.

UC It’s On Us launches this week with a video, posters and a MainStreet drive for student participation. It follows the

principles established by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in September

and highlights UC’s leadership role in efforts to better prevent and respond to sexual assault.

UC’s campaign, sponsored by the

Office of the Provost

and the

UC Women’s Center

, precedes a visit to campus by the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women,

Lynn Rosenthal

, Friday, Nov. 21. Rosenthal’s visit, coordinated by the Women’s Center and the

Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence

, evolved out of the university’s partnership with the statewide non-profit.

“I’m so proud of the work being done here at UC and our partnership with the Ohio Alliance,” said Provost Beverly Davenport, who oversees Student Affairs and Services, the home of many of the campus-wide efforts aimed at educating and empowering students to prevent sexual assault. “I’m also proud that UC It’s On Us is more than a single event. It’s a movement, an understanding that it’s on all of us to take responsibility for making our campus welcoming, safe and supportive.”

The UC campaign mirrors national efforts and those at other campuses, but adds a local twist. Students from UC Women’s Center’s

RECLAIM

Peer Advocates and Student Government will set up tables on the West Campus’ MainStreet and invite students to “take the pledge” to promote a culture of verbal, ongoing, sober consent within the university community and beyond. .

The varied elements of the campaign will feed into the

UC It’s On Us Facebook page

. The launch coincides with the UC Panhellenic Council’s Women’s Empowerment Week (#WEW2014) and in advance of the It’s On Us National Week of Action scheduled to begin the week of Nov. 17.   

#UCIt’sOnUs is the latest in a series of efforts by the university to impact the sobering statistics: one in four women and one in 16 men will be sexually assaulted in college.

In addition to providing training about consent and how to define sexual assault to new students this fall, UC has additional efforts aimed at addressing the ongoing problem. They include

• The hiring of a new, full-time Title IX coordinator, Jyl Shaffer, who started work this fall. She can be reached at 513-556-3349.

• The ongoing efforts of RECLAIM Peer Advocates, a team of 12 peer educators who conduct dedicated programming around sexual assault awareness and practicing consent. The program is facilitated with leadership from Courtney Shade who facilitates the education and program assessment piece and Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate Paisley Scarberry who oversees the direct service area of the program.

•  The UC Women’s Center continues its collaboration with Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Ohio’s statewide coalition dedicated to advocating for comprehensive responses and rape crisis services for survivors and the empowerment of communities to prevent sexual violence.

• UC’s #ConsentCulture continues its successful operations. The result of a collaboration between DAAPCares, RECLAIM and UC Feminists; #ConsentCulture defines consent as a verbal, ongoing, sober yes to sex. Students are encouraged to take the #ConsentCulture pledge and sign the mobile #ConsentCulture pledge board that circulates around campus and various functions. More information about the program is available online at consentculture.net.

• The availability of a variety of resources to support students and anyone who needs help. Those in need of help may contact UC Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) 24/7 at 513-556-0648 for confidential support. For additional support, those in need  may speak with limited confidentiality to the Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate, 513-556-4328, located in the UC Women’s Center, 513-556-4401. A full listing of resources is available online at www.uc.edu/ucwc/advocacy.

As UC’s chief academic officer and steward of the

Creating Our Third Century

initiatives, Provost Beverly Davenport and her team maintain a strategic focus on investing in and celebrating the strength and stories of people—UC’s faculty, students, staff and alumni.

NOTE

: For more information about the event at the University of Cincinnati on Nov. 21, contact the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence at

info@oaesv.org

, or at 216-658-1381.

About OAESV:

As Ohio’s statewide coalition, OAESV advocates for comprehensive responses and rape crisis services for survivors and empowers communities to prevent sexual violence.    

For more information, visit OAESV

online

, on

Twitter

and on

Facebook

.