Studies estimate that one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college. Only 13 percent of rape survivors report their assault. Campus sexual assault is a silent epidemic that is taking over schools across the country, and it is time we start talking about it.

The White House recently launched the “It’s On Us” Campaign, in partnership with Generation Progress, to bring a national awareness to this issue and end the culture of violence and silence that exists at colleges nationwide.

It is time to take responsibility on our campus here at EIU and change the mindset of how we look at sexual assault. We no longer need to be reactive; it’s time for us to be proactive.

While rape is an uncomfortable topic of conversation for many, it is quite literally on us, as students, to start the conversation. If we are able to talk about such an uncomfortable thing that occurs at our school, we can confront this issue head on.

Only in having an open discussion with all members of our community- the administration, faculty, counselors, students, and student groups- will we be able to be honest about sexual assault at our school.

We cannot be on the list of over 85 schools being investigated by the Department of Education for Title IX violations, accused of mishandling reported cases of sexual assault.

It is not only the duty of our school’s administration to make sure each and every case of sexual assault on our campus is prioritized and treated with sufficient care; it is also our duty as students to make sure we are holding our administration accountable.

There is no reason for any student, male or female, to feel unsafe on our campus. These atrocities are potentially occurring right here on our campus, at parties and in resident halls, and we need to make changes and recognize the severity of the situation.

No longer should reports be minimized or swept under the rug. We as a university need to start taking this issue seriously. We need to stop blaming the victim, not be a bystander, and get in the way before it happens.

It’s on all of us to change the culture, not look the other way, and to make campus sexual assault obsolete.

This is why we encourage everyone to join Student Government, Tuesday, February 24, at 6 p.m. in the Charleston- Mattoon Room as we launch the “It’s On Us” campaign here at Eastern Illinois University.

It’s On Us: Take A Stand Against Sexual Assault.

Reginald Thedford is the student body president. He can be reached at [email protected].