A new video, produced by University of Notre Dame students, aims to shift the way people think about sexual assault. Created similarly to a recent White House initiative, the video is part of the “It’s On Us Notre Dame” awareness campaign launched by the Gender Issues Committee within Student Government. The campaign’s goal is to empower individuals to be active participants in stopping sexual assault.
“‘It’s On Us’ is a rallying cry inviting everyone to step up and realize that the solution begins with us — everyone in the Notre Dame community,” said Kristen Loehle, a sophomore from Gainesville, Virginia, the former director of the Gender Issues Committee and coordinator of the “It’s On Us Notre Dame” campaign. “It’s a declaration that sexual assault is not only a crime committed by a perpetrator against a victim, but a societal problem in which all of us have a role to play, especially in taking steps to prevent it from occurring on our campus.”
Along with students, individuals from throughout the Notre Dame community appear in the video, including administration, faculty and staff. In addition, the University’s Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) has also produced a pair of videos that support the “It’s On Us Notre Dame” campaign. These videos provide instruction on how to actively make the campus community safe from sexual assault with a focus on teaching bystander intervention.
The “It’s On Us ND” campaign began with door-to-door pledge-signing in January in campus residence halls, and the campaign’s website continues to feature resources and information to educate supporters and help victims of sexual assault.
The video will be shown in conjunction with a number of campus events held annually throughout April during Sexual Violence Awareness Month. Sponsored by the University’s Gender Relations Center, Committee on Sexual Assault Prevention and other collaborators, the purpose of Sexual Violence Awareness Month is to foster awareness, to educate the campus community on prevention strategies, as well as provide resources for those impacted by sexual violence.
For more information about “It’s On Us ND,” visit the website. View the SAAC videos here.