Shippensburg University participates in the “It’s On Us” pledge, an annually grant-funded initiative, which aims to empower students to prevent sexual violence on campus and foster a sense of collective responsibility. The Pride and Gender Equity (PAGE) Center and Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life are launching this pledge with the goal of challenging harmful norms and encouraging students to stand up in situations when consent is unclear.
Miller Hoffman, the director of the PAGE Center at Ship, explained why prioritizing the “It’s On Us” pledge is an important initiative for students to take part in.
“Knowing about and talking about the pledge is a starting point to get this on your radar in a way that may get you thinking and talking more about it, wanting to find out more, finding like-minded friends and peers and starting to set boundaries and hold them together,” Hoffman said.
Recognizing and working against harmful behaviors is a huge part of the pledge. Hoffman emphasized the work involves reframing how people view both victimization and responsibility.
“We tend to make it about avoiding getting victimized, and we really need to make it about stopping abusers; we tend to think about it in terms of who ‘deserves’ to be believed and helped, and we really do need to support all survivors, even the ones we don’t like, even the ones who were hurt by our friends,” they explain.
Hoffman explained that empowering students to step in when consent is unclear or nonexistent is crucial, and encourages all students to do their part in working toward change. Noting that it is important to do the individual work, but that it is also equally as important to work together as a collective to educate the community and work against sexual violence, harassment and misconduct.
Student leaders are what help drive the pledge forward. They contribute to guiding conversations, organizing events and modeling positive behavior. Hoffman explained that students in leadership roles “gain really useful skills with public speaking, persuasion and critical thinking”, and help keep the conversation of change at the forefront.
Events like the Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) Survivors Panel and Safety Planning Workshop are a great way for student to engage in conversations about identifying and eliminating sexual violence on campus.
“We try to get information out in ways that engage people’s minds and critical thinking and also engage with people emotionally and empathetically, like with survivors’ panels,” Hoffman said.
By offering a wide range of activities and ways to stay engaged, the PAGE Center hopes to create more discussion around consent and maintain a true sense of mutual respect for one another on Ship’s campus.
Moving forward, Hoffman views the pledge as a pathway for students to become advocates for one another, in whatever way they feel comfortable. They also point out that it is important to work toward a safer campus environment, one that takes a look at damaging behaviors such as alcohol consumption, which plays a role in sexual violence. Hoffman stressed that discussions around alcohol need to change from advising students on how to avoid harm to addressing behaviors that lead to assault.
The “It’s On Us” pledge is a call to action for Shippensburg University’s campus community to take a stand against sexual violence. Through education, support and collective accountability, this initiative is a step toward creating positive change.
