Utah State Launches Pledge Campaign to Prevent Sexual Assault
College-aged women 18-24 years-old face an elevated risk for sexual assault nationwide, but bystanders can have a significant role in preventing assaults. According to one study, bystanders prevented on average 1.2 million violent victimizations per year. The key is to turn passive bystanders into engaged bystanders who are able to detect the warning signs of sexual assault and have the confidence to intervene.
Utah State University is putting that idea into practice by launching a new campaign challenging students to become engaged bystanders. The “I Will” pledge campaign launches Jan. 30 with an in-person and online pledge drive to step in and stop sexual assault.
“By involving students as engaged bystanders, we can create an environment in which sexual assault is intolerable and survivors are supported by everyone,” said USU President Noelle Cockett.
As part of the I Will campaign, students will be asked to pledge to:
- Not tolerate jokes, attitudes or any behavior that perpetuates sexual assault.
- Decide now to intervene if consent has not or cannot be given.
- Step in if they see warning signs of sexual assault on social media, at parties or in a friend’s relationship.
- Not assume someone else will stop sexual assault.
- Believe and help survivors of sexual assault.
“A bystander approach to preventing sexual assault broadens the responsibility of prevention from only the victim and perpetrator to everyone,” said USU Title IX Coordinator Stacy Sturgeon. “By putting the responsibility on the community as a whole, it also helps dispel myths about sexual violence and discourages victim-blaming.”
This idea is not new to the USU student body. The university joined the “It’s On Us” national campaign during the fall 2014 semester, launched by then Vice President Joe Biden. The USU Student Association is also championing the “I Will” pledge campaign, as are student-athletes, members of Greek organizations and students from a USU service-learning course.
The “I Will” campaign is a comprehensive messaging campaign that builds off the “Consent Is” campaign, which USU implemented during fall 2016. The “I Will” campaign will include an overall call to action and six weekly messages focused on sexual assault prevention, reporting sexual misconduct and supporting victims. The campaign will run from Jan. 30 through March 11, with an in-person pledge drive from 10-1, Monday, Jan. 30 through Wednesday, Feb. 1 at the Taggart Student Center. The online pledge drive can be found at iwill.usu.edu for the duration of the campaign.
In conjunction with the I Will pledge campaign, USU is also releasing a campus-wide landing page for sexual assault and harassment to help students better understand the resources available to them through the university, as well as through the local community. These resources include confidential counseling and advocacy, as well as reporting to USU’s Title IX office or police. This webpage is at usu.edu/sexual-assault.
Contact: Amanda DeRito, PR Specialist & Social Media Coordinator
Amanda.DeRito@usu.edu | 435-797-2759
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