UPDATE 9/22: Today, the Education Secretary announced that they are dismantling Title IX protections. It is essential that we flood the Department of Education with petitions supporting Title IX and the 2011 guidelines on enforcement. We must ensure our campuses stay safe and that our colleges and universities don't take a backward step. Make your voice heard: Add your name to take a stand and tell Secretary Betsy DeVos that you support strong Title IX protections for survivors.
We were honored to lead White House Council on Women and Girls during the Obama-Biden administration. There were only a few instances when we used the word “epidemic” to describe an issue facing our country. It carries serious weight, and it requires real, immediate action to address the problem, using every means possible. There is an epidemic of sexual violence on college campuses across the United States.
You may already know the numbers—one in five women and one in sixteen men will be sexually assaulted by the time they leave campus. That is, unquestionably, an epidemic.
In order to tackle the epidemic, we worked to use all the levers of government.
In April of 2011, the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education released a Dear Colleague letter outlining comprehensive guidance to help colleges and universities that receive federal funding better deal with this issue, and informing them that they were responsible for keeping their campuses safe.
In January of 2014, President Obama and Vice President Biden announced the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, an all-of-government effort that brought together the federal agencies that could use their power to effect change on this issue. The task force recommended that we focus on four key areas: identifying the problem through campus climate surveys, focusing on prevention and better engaging men, working to effectively respond when someone is assaulted, and increasing transparency and improving enforcement.
And three years ago this week, on September 19, 2014, after being introduced by Lilly Jay, a remarkable young women who survived a sexual assault at Amherst College, President Obama and Vice President Biden announced the It’s On Us campaign, calling on everyone across the country to step up and pledge to help solve this problem. The campaign has been crucial not only in helping us change our laws to better protect students, but also in starting to change our culture.
The It's On Us pledge asks everyone – students, community leaders, parents, organizations, and companies – to step up and commit to be a part of the solution, and the campaign has made an enormous difference in changing the conversation around sexual assault in this country and moved the needle on prevention, consent, and survivor support. And people across the country have answered the It’s On Us call to action. Since its launch, students have stepped up and spread the word, hosting over 3,000 events on over 500 campuses in all 50 states.
These were just a few of the key efforts begun under the Obama Administration. We were always inclusive in our outreach efforts recognizing the importance of bi-partisan support from all stakeholders. All parents want their children to be safe while they learn, and across party lines, leaders stepped up to support the cause to keep our campuses safe.
Unfortunately, just as students arrived on campuses this fall, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced a review of our policy and guidance that could send us back to a time when rape was swept under the rug on campus after campus across the country. Her announcement was profoundly troubling, especially at a time when young people were just beginning the new college year. The focus should be on prevention and supporting survivors. Not easing the responsibility of campus administrators. Before any changes take effect to the sexual assault guidance, the Department of Education has to open this up for public comments. This is a critical time to make our voices heard and tell the Department of Education why these protections are so critical on college campuses.
After all, no parent wants their son or daughter’s campus administrators to stop working to protect students because it’s too hard, too much work, or too much of a burden. But this epidemic isn’t going to happen just by lobbying the current administration or by relying on laws alone. This is a problem we are all complicit in allowing to continue, and we must all step up to stop it.
College presidents, regardless of the Title IX interpretation by this administration, must do everything possible to keep their campuses safe. Artists and cultural leaders must uses their voices to change the way we talk about and view this issue. Coaches and athletes must always ensure that their language and behavior isn’t disrespectful of women. And in the absence of federal leadership, state and local leaders must step up to fill the void. We must all raise our voices together.
This isn’t a problem that will be solved tomorrow or in the near future. Which is why when we launched the It’s On Us campaign we made sure it would last beyond our administration to protect and build on the progress we’ve made. We’re going to keep working to stop sexual assault wherever we see it, and we hope you’ll keep fighting alongside us.
Here are two easy actions you can take right now:
- Donate to the It’s On Us GoFundMe page to show your support for Title IX protections and sexual assault prevention on college campuses.
- Sign up to be the first to know when Secretary DeVos launches the Title IX comment process at the Department of Education to add your voice.
