By Jeff Murphy,
November 8, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO – A group of University of Central Missouri students are putting engaged
learning into practice as they respond to a nationwide call for college students and
other individuals to join the conversation and become part of the solution to end
sexual violence.
It’s On Us is an organization of approximately a dozen members that was established
in 2016, two years after the launch of the national movement by the same name. It’s
On Us followed recommendations from the White House Task Force to Prevent Sexual Assault,
which stressed the importance of engaging students, community leaders, parents, organizations,
and businesses to make a positive difference in combatting this growing issue. To
date, nearly 300,000 people nationally have taken the It’s On Us Pledge, including
students on more than 500 campuses. If UCM’s It’s On Us organizers have their way,
many more people will get involved on campus and in the community.
Working through UCM’s Office of Violence and Substance Abuse Prevention, A.J. Majino,
a junior social studies education major from St. Charles, co-founded It’s On Us at
UCM with a friend, Kraig McCoy, a junior criminal justice major from Fenton who recently
became the university’s student representative to the national organization. Both
of these student leaders say they realized a need for such an organization long before
they arrived at the university.
“I thought it was important because in high school I had a lot of friends who had
to go through situations such as sexual assault. That impacted me a lot just from
the sheer number, because you don’t expect that many,” Majino said. “I actually got
an email from the VSAP office saying they were starting up an organization so a bunch
of my friends and I attended, including Kraig, and we started the organization to
make the campus safer.”
The need to address sexual misconduct “is an important cause,” McCoy added. “Obviously,
on a college campus these things seem to be magnified, but we want to create a better
environment for everyone and impact as many people as we can.”
National statistics demonstrate the need for strong campus engagement to address issues
related to sexual misconduct. According to the It’s On Us organization’s national
website, 11.2 percent of all students experience rape or sexual assault. While female
students are four times more likely to be a victim of rape or sexual assault than
males, only 20 percent of female student victims, age 18-24, report to law enforcement.
The UCM It’s On Us group wants to do their part to make a positive change in these
statistics by following the national campaign, which has three core pillars – consent
education, increasing bystander intervention, and creating an environment that supports
survivors.
McCoy and Majino said It’s On Us seeks to educate the campus community through special
events such as guest speakers and through informational tables, which they have provided
on campus throughout the fall semester.
They noted that members of It’s On Us try to make the table events more interesting
and engaging by offering small give-a-ways such as candy to individuals who can answer
questions designed to help make them more aware of issues related to sexual violence.
They also distribute pledge cards that guide students toward the “ItsOnUsUCM” Facebook
page, while also providing information about the organization’s campus meetings, which
they encourage all interested students to attend. Upcoming sessions take place at
4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 in Elliott Student Union 101 and Wednesday, Nov. 29 in Union
123. Future meetings are tentatively slated for 4 p.m. in Union 123 the first and
third Wednesdays of the month, sometimes more often.
UCM’s It’s On Us organization goes beyond educating people about sexual violence.
Members of the group also work closely with the VSAP staff to educate students on
bystander intervention via the Green Dot program. Green Dot is a university approach
to reducing power-based personal violence on campus and in the community. It shows
students, faculty, and staff how to intervene in situations of sexual assault, dating
and domestic violence, and stalking by teaching bystander intervention skills and
creating a culture of intolerance for power-based personal violence. Many of the It’s
On Us member have gone through this program, which they say is valuable for all university
faculty, staff and students.
“It teaches skills, it’s not just telling people about something,” said Rhonda Neill,
VSAP projects coordinator who works with and advises the It’s On Us group. “They must
think about what they would do in a situation.”
It’s On Us also helps to spread the word about resources available at UCM to help
victims of sexual misconduct.
“We have amazing resources...,” Majino said, “…and there are confidential resources.”
Among them are campus groups and individuals such as Mentoring, Advocacy and Peer
Support (MAPS), and the MAPS victim advocate; University Health Center; and UCM Counseling
Center. All of these offices help to promote an atmosphere that is empathetic toward
those who experience sexual misconduct, including victims of all acts of violence,
sexual assault and harassment.
Students who are interested in learning more about It’s On Us or who would like to
join the organization are urged to attend one of the group’s meetings. They also
can contact Majino by email at ajm98100@ucmo.edu.
Members of the campus community who want to help demonstrate that UCM does not tolerate
violence can do so by attending a Faculty/Staff Green Dot Bystander Intervention Training
session 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20 in Elliott Student Union 237A-B. During
this interactive training, participants will learn to identify warning signs of power-based
personal violence, how to effectively intervene when they see a potential problem,
and how the campus can support its students as they learn to intervene in their own
lives. To register, go to the following link and complete the registration form by
Friday, Nov. 17 --- https://goo.gl/forms/dEm7nbessvf22B7B3. Questions about this training,
or Green Dot in general, should be directed to Wesley Hobson in the VSAP Office at
660-543-4769 or whobson@ucmo.edu.
