Last week Vice President Joe Biden held a reception to honor students who have made a significant impact in their work with the “It’s On Us” campaign. Among them was U student Julianne Skrivan.
Students at the reception sat alongside members of congress and representatives of national advocacy organizations. Skrivan and other members of “It’s On Us” were invited to the White House to receive training on how to further prevent sexual assault.
“I’m proud to be a member of ‘It’s On Us’ Student Advisory Committee,” Skrivan said. “It’s on all of us to address sexual assault. When we come together as a team, we can make incredible progress in changing the culture.”
“It’s On Us” began in September 2014 as an initiative by President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden to reduce the rate of sexual violence on college campuses. The intent was to change the conversation surrounding sexual assault so that everyone viewed its prevention as a personal responsibility.
The “It’s On Us” Student Advisory Committee was started in 2015 to further involve and empower students in the movement. This year there are 28 members from across the country, including Skrivan.
The event was held during October to coincide with the 22nd anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act and the “It’s On Us” National Week of Action, a week dedicated to encouraging students to join the movement and stop sexual assault on their campuses.
“I think that it’s a great way to start a conversation and an excellent beginning to a movement that needs work,” said Jessica Valdes, a junior at the U. “I think there needs to be more done with it but I think like all campaigns it just takes a few years to get it up and running.”
For more information on events held by “It’s On Us” and to join more than 360,000 people who have taken the movement’s pledge go to asuu.utah.edu/itsonus.
@ZoeKozlowski