SUNY Oswego celebrated It’s On Us day on Oct. 28 as a way to highlight sexual assault and interpersonal violence prevention on campus. 

The tabling event was held from 12-4 p.m. in Marano Campus Center and gave members of the campus community the opportunity to pledge to stop sexual assault and get free It’s On Us t-shirts and other merchandise including stickers and pins. 

“I think that’s one of the things that I like about this event is that people keep coming back,” Lisa Evaneski, SUNY Oswego’s Title IX coordinator, said. “Our students and employees show up for this … Some people love to collect every shirt we have, they’ll show up in the oldest shirt we have.”

This year, SUNY Oswego’s chapter of It’s On Us, branded It’s On Oz, was recognized as one of the three most active campuses in the country in terms of events and student participation. 

“It’s not a surprise in some ways,” Evaneski said. “I don’t know how we got all of our students and employees to keep caring about these things but they do [and] I think that part is what makes me so happy.”

SUNY Oswego was highlighted alongside Clemson University and the University of Miami, making it the smallest campus featured. 

“They went to three of their most engaged campuses and the other two were … huge campuses,” Anneke McEvoy, SUNY Oswego’s deputy Title IX coordinator, said. “To think Oswego in its efforts ranks with such sizable institutions … is just great.”

McEvoy said holding events like this can be beneficial when tackling sensitive topics like sexual assault because more people are involved and working together.

“Sexual and interpersonal violence are difficult topics … and I think an event like It’s On Us day is about taking ownership in a positive way,” McEvoy said. “It’s somehow less scary when you do something like this.”

It’s On Us pledge days started in 2014 as an initiative of former President Barack Obama and the White House Task Force to Prevent Sexual Assault, according to the It’s On Us website. Their goal was to have everyone in the conversation about sexual assault prevention, including college students.

“The president’s office got an email from the President of the United States saying ‘hey, we want you to do this thing with us,’” Evaneski said. “So myself and a bunch of other people were called to a meeting to figure it out … and our president at the time Deborah Stanley set this whole thing in motion.”

Since then, Evaneski and the Title IX office has hosted multiple events per semester in order to gain student and employee participation in sexual and interpersonal violence prevention. Because of their work, SUNY Oswego was recognized by It’s On Us, Kyle Richard, associate director of men’s engagement and special projects said. 

“We appreciate the work they have done on the ground there,” Richard said. “We really wanted to spotlight what was going on at SUNY Oswego … we wanted to show other campuses what it’s all about.”

Richard said It’s On Us wanted to showcase SUNY Oswego’s pledge day because of the amount of interaction it causes with the campus community. 

“The tabling event brought people to the table literally,” Richard said. “It engaged many people on campus, including men, who were passing by to show their support for healthy relationships and a healthy campus environment. There’s a reason we came to spotlight this event because people were really active.”

Along with visiting campus on Oct. 28, representatives from It’s On Us are hosting workshops for students and members of the Title IX office. The programs, “WTF is a Healthy Relationship,” “Online Dating Safety” and “Supporting Survivors” were held in Penfield Library throughout the day on Nov. 3. 

Along with continuing to support It’s On Oz, Richard said they are looking to pilot a new sports-based program with SUNY Oswego in the coming years. 

“The NFL and a couple of organizations have been helping us sponsor focus groups for a new program in 2023-24 specifically for athletes,” Richard said. “The power of athletics and the platform of sport that we can use in terms of violence prevention and engaging men [is huge].”

As the associate director of men’s engagement, Richard explained that part of his role with It’s On Us is to bring more men into these conversations and athletics is a good tool to do so. 

“Sports is a really good elevator of men’s engagement,” Richard said. “When we do our trainings we want to make sure athletes are really engaged.”

SUNY Oswego’s Title IX will continue to host programs and events on campus throughout the remainder of the semester with a focus on overall wellness, Evaneski said.  

Photo from: Twitter via @ItsOnOz