Club Spotlight: It’s On Us

By: Madison Howard, Features Editor

Canisius University has welcomed a new chapter of It’s On Us, a national movement dedicated to preventing sexual violence on college campuses. Through education, student involvement and campus–wide conversations, the organization hopes to encourage students to look beyond traditional awareness efforts and recognize the role they play in creating a safer campus community.

While many students may feel they have already attended enough consent trainings or heard the same conversations about sexual assault prevention, It’s On Us hopes to reach those students, too. Rather than becoming an organization made up solely of people who are already familiar with these issues, the chapter wants to engage students who might not otherwise see a reason to attend its events.

It’s On Us is a national movement dedicated to ending sexual violence on college campuses. Its vision is to create a world where no student graduates college having experienced sexual violence because higher education has established a culture of prevention.

Canisius’ chapter is working to bring that vision to western New York through education, campus involvement and opportunities for students to engage with the subject in different ways.

On Nov. 11, the organization held its first general body meeting, welcoming students with free food and drinks while introducing its executive board and discussing the chapter’s goals for the year.

The executive board consists of five sophomores: President Bailey Clarke, a biology major; Vice President Madison Howard, a psychology major; Secretary Erin McMaster, a biochemistry major; Treasurer Alli Farmer, a biology and animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC) major; and Public Relations Director Sienna Stepien, a sociology major.

One of the chapter’s priorities is making its programming accessible to students regardless of their previous knowledge or experience with sexual violence prevention. Members want to move beyond traditional presentations and trainings to create opportunities for students to participate in conversations in more approachable ways.

One proposed initiative includes movie screenings followed by group discussions. Films such as “Obsession” could serve as starting points for conversations about relationships, boundaries and behaviors depicted on screen. Rather than simply watching a film, students would have the opportunity to discuss what they noticed, identify problematic situations and consider what could have been handled differently.

The chapter also hopes to expand its reach beyond Canisius. Members are interested in connecting with other universities in western New York that do not currently have an It’s On Us chapter. Through these connections, they hope to introduce the organization to new campuses and help bring more awareness to sexual violence prevention.

Another opportunity for involvement is peer education. Students can pursue training opportunities through the organization, earning different certifications that allow them to develop their knowledge and skills in prevention education. This provides students with an opportunity to become more involved while helping extend the chapter’s educational reach.

Ultimately, It’s On Us wants students to understand that sexual violence prevention is not limited to attending a training or knowing the definition of consent. It involves creating an environment where students look out for one another, recognize harmful behaviors and take responsibility for the culture they help shape.

Canisius’ It’s On Us has an opportunity to bring these conversations to more college campuses. Its goal is not simply to reach the students who are already listening, but to create reasons for everyone else to listen, too.

The organization’s message is reflected in its name: preventing sexual violence is something all of us have a responsibility to take part in.