Michigan State University students, faculty, staff and community partners will mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month with a series of educational activities and events hosted by the Prevention, Outreach and Education Department, or POE, during the spring It's On Us Week of Action, April 12-17.
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and in-person event restrictions, events will be hosted virtually this year.
As a part of efforts to raise awareness and change the culture around sexual violence, MSU’s It’s On Us is a student-led effort, and the planned activities mirror the national initiative's charge to support and advocate for survivors of sexual assault by taking action to end sexual violence.
“It’s On Us Week of Action is a time to center ourselves around supporting survivors of sexual assault and activating campus,” said Damaris Crocker De Ruiter, peer educator coordinator with POE. “Even though we are virtual this year, we have still come up with ways to engage the community with multiple different types of opportunities.”
The week of events kicks off today at 7 p.m. via Zoom with a keynote address from Los Angeles-based comedian, actor and author Cameron Esposito, who will be speaking on her experience as a survivor.
Esposito is a standup comic, actor and writer who has appeared across television and film and, most recently, in print in The New York Times. You may also know Esposito from her popular interview podcast, Queery. Her first book, “Save Yourself,” came out in March 2020 from Hachette/Grand Central Publishing.
Other It's On Us Week of Action events and activities include:
- Virtual Webinar with Cameron Esposito, 7-8 p.m., Tuesday, April 13.
- Panel and Q&A with the MSU Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), 6-7 p.m., Thursday, April 15.
- Activating Campus Undergraduate Summit, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 17.
- Trauma-Informed Yoga with a Gender Equity Focus, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Saturday, April 17.
These events are open to the campus community, and community members can register online until capacity limits are reached.
In addition to these live events, POE will be hosting daily challenges on their Instagram page @MSUPOE, sharing coloring pages on their website, and sending It’s On Us self-care packages which can be requested here.
Several student organizations and campus programs, including the Associated Students of MSU, University Activities Board, Women's Student Services, Student Health Advisory Council, The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, Residence Halls Association, Safe Place, Center for Survivors, MSU Police Department, and many other organization have partnered with POE to plan, coordinate and support the week of events.
For additional information on It’s On Us Week of Action at MSU and to learn more about POE, please visit poe.msu.edu/its-on-us.