ASMSU started taking steps to form a partnership with the nationwide “It’s On Us” campaign earlier this month.
The campaign was introduced by President Barack Obama in September and includes a pledge which highlights four primary goals — 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 and to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.
As part of the campaign, ASMSU will begin fundraising to hire a new counselor at the MSU Counseling Center and decrease the length of their current wait-list for sexual assault victims. As of right now, the wait-list is about four weeks long with 10 people on it.
This is a ridiculous amount of time for survivors of sexual assault and abuse to have to wait. For those four weeks, survivors will have to deal with the trauma while waiting to be seen by a counselor.
Caring for survivors after the assault or abuse has happened is an important part of the healing process. While ensuring that sexual assault is prevented on campus is vital, the care for survivors during the aftermath should not be disregarded.
However, the push for change will need to come from other outside sources. University officials need to realize this is an issue worth investing time and funding in. With how much that is already dedicated to sexual assault prevention, the same amount could be invested in what happens after the initial trauma.
This doesn’t mean that attention should be taken away from preventing sexual assault - this is an issue that should always be kept in mind, that won’t go away any time soon unless steps are constantly being made to make this campus safer for everyone around.
This simply means that the problem is still prevalent and will continue to weigh on the victim long after an assault has taken place. Reading and signing the pledge, and the tips on preventing sexual assault detailed online, is one way students can take action for the cause into their own hands.
But at the end of the day, even more steps need to be taken towards care during the aftermath of a sexual assault or sexual abuse. While it’s on all of us to make campus a safer environment, it’s also on us to help those who experienced the trauma feel safe again.
The same amount of care given to preventing sexual assault needs to also be directed towards the survivors, and it’s on university officials to ensure that they receive it.
