Photo Courtesy of Alexandra Simone
It’s On Us —Ramapo College— to spread the message that everyone is responsible for ending sexual assault. In January 2014, President Obama created a White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. Campuses across the country have started their own It’s On Us campaign to bring awareness, as well as to encourage students to intervene in risky situations. During the Spring of 2015, the Ramapo community was given the opportunity to take the It’s On Us pledge as a personal commitment to stop sexual assault by refusing to be a bystander to the problem.
Everyone who signs the pledge agrees to the following statements:
I pledge:
To recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault.
To identify situations in which sexual assault may occur.
To intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given.
To create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported (itsonus.org).
The Center for Health and Counseling Services, the Women’s Center, the Student Government Association (SGA), along with many other clubs and organizations on campus joined the movement to spread awareness to students, staff and faculty.
With the start of the new academic school year, Ramapo is eager to continue the momentum of the campaign. During the Student Leadership Institute (RLI) this past August, student leaders participated in It’s On Us training where they learned bystander intervention skills and strategies for prevention of various types of violence, including bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
In order to include the class of 2019, we have implemented an It’s On Us challenge for First Year Seminar classes with the Peer Facilitators. This challenge encourages first year students to participate in the initiative by spreading awareness through social media sites and working together to create their class public service announcements. This will be an opportunity to come together as a class and for everyone to work together as part of Ramapo’s community to take a stand to prevent sexual violence.
The names below represent students from SGA, CSI, RLI, Peer Facilitators and various clubs/organizations on campus who signed the pledge in August 2015.
*This list does not include participants that have taken the pledge during Spring 2015*
If your club or organization is interested in participating in the It’s On Us movement please contact Brooke Jamison at bjamison@ramapo.edu or Maggie Walters at mwalters@ramapo.edu for more information.
BROOKE JAMISON, Graduate Assistant for the Women’s Center
MAGGIE WALTERS, Graduate Assistant for the Center for Health and Counseling Services
Sarah Brown
Megan Valdes
Victoria Tommasulo
Philip Rocha
Pritha Aggarwal
Nareliz Gonzalez-Pinero
Nathaniel Kolo
Donald Irons
Joi Mcwilliams
Matthew Medrana
Jamie Prizer
Laura French
Makr Boulanger
Rebecca Walsh
Renee DeLora
Rachel Kozan
Ronika Khanuja
Hannah Ovadia
Andrew Herrera
Katherine Strang
Lyndsay Massaro
Wilson Quiceno
Arielle Saracinello
Ariana Rivera
Emily Inserra
Shannon Jirkovsky
Sujil Maharjan
Danielle Bethencourt
Sean Farrell
Matthew Rose
Moesha Muir
Halle Pineiro
Brian Rocha
Natalia Lima
David Blutstein
Thomas Chupela
Gina D’Antoni
Michelle Shneyder
Jenny Hubert
Renee DeLora
Rachel Kozan
Cassandra O’Malley
Kayla Kozak
Alexa O’Brien
Jacquelyn Persson
Katherine Kowalchuk
Jonathan Laskoski
Brittany Peters
Rebecca King
Anupama Upadhyay
Christine Darakjy
Kevin Hurtado
Erin McKenna
