If you were in the commons last week, I bet you noticed an unusual amount of photos being taken near Frog Fountain. Wondering what that was all about? It's something pretty amazing...let me tell you.
April marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month and students around the country are helping to spread the word through the Not On My Campus campaign.
Not On My Campus is a student lead movement that was created by students at Southern Methodist University. The mission of the campaign is to generate open conversation on the topic and to increase awareness about the reality of sexual assault offenses that occur on a typical college campus.
This campaign was first introduced to TCU in March of last year. Proven to be successful, TCU's Student Government has brought it back, launching its 2015 campaign on Monday, March 23rd ending on Thursday, March 26th.
Hundreds of students showed up to get their picture taken with “Not on My Campus" written on the palm of their hands. These aren't just pictures for the next brochure or quality Instagram, these Kodak moments are a huge key to the movement's success.
TCU's Not on My Campus Facebook page currently has 1,489 likes and 516 photos of students who took the pledge in it's 2015 album. But it doesn't stop there.
Scroll through your explore page the next time you check your Instagram and I'm sure you'll see a post for Not On My Campus. This is a prime example of our generation using the power of social media to our advantage. Posting your Not On My Campus pledge picture shows you're proud and inspires other to join in!
It's important to remember that both men and women are victims of sexual assault. In fact, as TCU's Not On My Campus Facebook page states, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted at some point during their college years. However, those numbers could just be scraping the surface.
Sexual assault happens more often than any of us know because most cases go unreported. There is a “crying wolf" stigma that has been attached to reporting sexual assault that needs to be demolished. Not On My Campus is about bringing clarity to the situation, letting people know that they're safe to come forward and re-establishing sexual assault as a serious issue that will not be tolerated by our community.
TCU has many resources on campus to help students who have been a victim of sexual assault. If you need to report a sexual assault do not hesitate to contact TCU Police. Counseling and necessary medical treatment are provided by TCU without any expense to the victim.
I hope that the success of the campaign provides comfort to those who need it and shows them that united as a TCU community we commit ourselves to abolishing sexual assault on our campus!
