When the university was made aware of the White House’s national campaign, MSU media communications manager Jason Cody said, of course, they wanted to be involved.

“This is an ongoing issue that needs to be brought to the forefront,” Cody said.

 ASMSU plans to launch a Facebook page for the week's events, which include workshops offered by student groups, opportunities to sign the It’s On Us pledge, and other activities to raise awareness and offer advice on fighting sexual assault. 

The national campaign correlates with the university's efforts to address sexual assault on campus, including the No Excuse for Sexual Assault campaign launched in January 2013 by the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives.

The University Task Force on Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence has been working to combat sexual assault and violence on campus for 10 years, and the 2014 University Task Force on Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence is planning its first meeting next week.

Faculty, staff and student representatives on the task force will review MSU’s efforts to combat sexual assault over the last decade. Together, campus representatives will identify any gaps in their program based on the recent guidance from federal agencies and the White House.

The city of East Lansing and DTN Management have also recently committed to helping MSU address sexual assault and violence.

The City Council passed a resolution in October to support university efforts and DTN is working to increase awareness of this issue within its properties across East Lansing.

Cody said MSU is very thankful for both of partnerships. He said it’s a huge benefit having community partners because many students live off of campus — some in DTN properties.

“MSU is a defined campus, but we know it doesn’t stop at the borders,” Cody said. “It’s nice to have partners saying with us, ‘Hey, this is a priority and we need to focus on this.’”