The Story of the It's On Us Movement
In the spring of 2014, a sexual assault occurred on campus when a student was running late at night. This sparked the grassroots “Protect My Clemson Family” movement, where students signed a banner to pledge to stop sexual assault. It’s On Us at Clemson was founded in the fall of 2014, just after it was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama. At that time, it had just started to spread and to become a national movement. It was first spearheaded by Clemson Undergraduate Student Government. Many student groups came together and raised awareness through tabling and giving out teal ribbons. They also filmed Clemson’s first It’s On Us PSA. Click here to view the film.
In the spring of 2015, representatives from CUSG came in contact with the Clemson Office for Access and Equity. A partnership formed between the two and from this, the April Sexual Assault Awareness Month Planning Committee (ASAP) was formed in an effort to host Clemson’s first ever Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in April. This group brought together students, organizations, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members. Most importantly, it involved non-traditional partners, such as a social fraternities and ROTC. The group hosted events for the first SAAM including programs detailed on the Programs tab of this site.
The ASAP team became It’s On Us and a formal student group proposal was submitted through the Organizations Committee on Student Government. The group passed the formal recognition process by recruiting 12 members and drafting a Constitution. The It’s On Us Student Group decided to raise awareness of domestic violence, as it is a pertinent problem in South Carolina. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and many events were planned, including a seminar in conjunction with Delta Tau Delta and Alpha Chi Omega entitled, “Crazy Love: A Night with Leslie Morgan Steiner.” The It’s On Us Fall Week of Action also fell in October. Vice President Joe Biden visited and gave a speech as a result of Clemson’s involvement in the National Student Advisory Committee and the work done by ASAP in the previous spring. Vice President Biden’s visit was not only notable, but very impactful for all who participated.
In the spring of 2016, It’s On Us came together and hosted the second annual SAAM. This time, more programming was added and assorted activities were done during tabling. For example, the clothesline project was implemented, as well as a map of campus where people could pin the location of interpersonal violence they had experienced. The largest event was a seminar hosted by Delta Tau Delta and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. entitled “Best Sex Ever! With Laci Green.” This event brought Laci Green to campus and gave on and off campus resources the opportunity to table and interact with students from all kinds of backgrounds. The Football team and staff wore teal ribbons at the Spring game.
If you’re interested in joining the It’s On Us Student Group, contact Emily Hulett, the Graduate Advisor, at ehulett@clemson.edu.
