Last spring MSU became one of now 76 higher education institutions to be under federal investigation for how sexual assault cases were handled.

As a response to the issue, President Barack Obama launched the “It’s On Us” campaign in September to raise awareness and put an end to sexual assault at campuses across the country.

In an article on the White House Blog, President Obama said when the campaign was launched an estimated one in 16 men and one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college — but only 12 percent of the cases are reported.

Students can sign a pledge that asks people to recognize non-consensual sex is assault, identify situations when sexual assault may occur, intervene when consent has not or cannot be given and create an environment where sexual assault is unacceptable and its survivors are given support.

This week marks National Week of Action, and a variety of student organizations at MSU are taking the “It’s On Us” pledge and asking peers to do the same to stop sexual assault on campus.

Neuroscience and anthropology senior Mariah Hall , an executive board member for the Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Team , said some of her friends and family members have been victims of sexual assault. She has taken the pledge to help give the support they may not receive.

The Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Team is a registered student organization that runs the sexual assault crisis line and will be hosting educational events throughout the Week of Action.

In addition to the involvement of SACI, the Associated Students of Michigan State University are also working with student organizations to raise awareness and have them take the pledge, including the MSU Interfraternity Council, which includes the 30 fraternities on campus.

On Monday, Phi Kappa Psi fraternity began the series of events with an event which invited students to sign their name on the rock on Farm Lane and pledge to raise awareness and end sexual assault.

Late into Sunday night and early Sunday morning, brothers of the fraternity guarded the rock which would later be painted and then filled with the signatures of people who had taken the pledge.

Computer science junior Ian Bonney , the vice president of Phi Kappa Psi, said the national Phi Kappa Psi organization recently partnered with the campaign which led the fraternity to want to be involved.

“It’s important to know about this because a lot of sexual assaults happen on college campuses and even more so, unfortunately, in greek life,” Bonney said. “It’s very important (that) the college community and greek community come together to take a stand and make sure this doesn’t happen in our houses or on our campus.”

John Ko , fundraising chair for the fraternity and marketing sophomore, said fraternities often have a bad reputation and are put to blame for sexual assault cases, though it’s not always true.

“(Phi Kappa Psi) doesn’t want to part of the statistic of saying ‘We’re the ones who cause these incidents,’” Ko said. “Instead, we want to be the ones that stand up against it and say ‘Hey, we’re here to change things and prove fraternities aren’t like that.’”

By late afternoon on Monday, more than 100 people had signed the rock and taken the pledge.

“Seeing all these people take pledge, signing their name at the rock, taking the pledge online ... it truly warms my heart knowing people do care,” Ko said.

Among those to sign the rock was elementary education sophomore Jeffrey Williams Jr. , who said he chose to sign because it’s important to be aware of how serious the issue is.

“In one of my classes we talked about how a lot of the time, it happens to people you know and sometimes you don’t know it’s happening and people don’t say anything about it,” Williams said.

For sexual assault cases, women are assumed to be more invested in the cause, but Hall said it’s important for men to be aware of the issue, too.

Hall said she believes it’s important for everyone, especially men, to say to those who may think sexual assault is not an issue that it’s not OK.

“We’re not going to stand for it as a university,” Hall said.

To read a letter sent to The State News from an anonymous student sharing her personal trauma with sexual assault, click here.