Barack Obama and Joe Biden kick off the campaign Friday morning. W.H. targets campus sex assaults

The next phase of the White House’s initiative to address sexual assault on campuses launches this morning: A campaign aiming to change the culture surrounding the issue by emphasizing the role that everyone – particularly college-aged men – plays in stopping and preventing violence.

“We’re confident with this initiative – which includes everyone, with full engagement – we will be able to end sexual assault and change the culture of sexual assault,” a senior White House official said Thursday.


President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will kick off the “It’s On Us” campaign at a White House event this morning, building on the work of the White House Task Force on Sexual Assault that the two formed in January. In April, the task force released a set of recommendations that included better engaging men in the fight against sexual assault, along with a new public service announcement targeting men.

The new public awareness campaign, in partnership with Generation Progress, will include multiple PSAs and is supported by commitments from several organizations, companies and social media platforms, as well as about 200 campus student bodies. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, Electronic Arts and the American Association of University Women are among those that signed a memorandum of understanding to engage campus communities and promote “It’s On Us” content.

A number of celebrities and athletes will also be involved, White House officials said.

A new website, ItsOnUs.org, will post campaign materials and student resources. In addition, three new documents outlining best practices will be posted at NotAlone.gov. They will provide sample policy language for colleges to strengthen the role of Title IX coordinators, provide interim and supportive measures for victims, and define prohibited conduct in sexual misconduct policies.

The Department of Justice is also preparing details for a new grant program that will award more than $6 million to 18 colleges to develop “comprehensive campus sexual assault prevention and response programs.”

“Today’s announcement is a critical part of the administration’s work to prevent sexual assault, but it is not the final step,” officials said in a fact sheet issued Thursday. “Our efforts to improve enforcement, transparency and accountability will continue.”

As part of those efforts, officials have just begun looking at how the task force’s recommendations might apply to K-12 schools, they said.

“Obviously, many of these habits do not begin as young people arrive on college campus – it begins earlier than that,” a senior White House official said. “We really want to have a comprehensive approach.”

With “It’s On Us,” officials will emphasize the importance of bystander intervention. Many men may be uncomfortable with sexual violence but don’t step in in violent situations because they fear judgment from other men, officials said.

“By getting men involved, we think we can interrupt that way of thinking and develop new social norms,” another senior official said. “This happens as a sustained effort over time.”

Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of “It’s On Us” partner the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, said RAINN joined to help bring attention to “the important role” of students in keeping their friends safe and preventing rape.

“One of the most effective ways to prevent rape is to mobilize men and women on campus to join together in stopping perpetrators before they can commit a crime,” Berkowitz said in a statement. “We also need to make sure that if a friend is sexually assaulted, students know how to support him or her and ensure they have access to the help they deserve through the National Sexual Assault Hotline and local resources.”

Ahead of, but separate from, the event this morning, Generation Progress released a report examining existing legislation regarding assault in higher education, and calling on colleges to respond more forcefully and proactively to such violence.

Government officials on Thursday credited the work of student activists, saying the White House is expanding and building upon existing momentum around sexual assault awareness on college campuses.

“The goal was to pick folks who have a very powerful reach to work with us and with college campuses,” a senior White House official said. “We’re going to hold schools accountable, we’re going to help survivors understand that they are not alone and we’re going to work to make sure that everyone understands that they have a very important role to play in stopping sexual assault before it ever happens.”