ASUI seeks to end sexual assault
She thought she knew him, thought she could trust him. The pair went to see a band play at John’s Alley and they had a few drinks. He was too drunk to drive back to Pullman, so she let him sleep on her couch.
During the night, he forced himself on her. She was unable to resist and she did not consent. That night, Anne Gaines, a scholarly communication librarian at the University of Idaho, was forever changed.
“While it was happening, it felt like something was wrong,” Gaines said. “It took a while to come to terms with what it actually was.”
To combat sexual assaults like the one Gaines fell victim to, ASUI is launching the ‘It’s On Us’ federal campaign Tuesday to encourage the UI community to take an active role in preventing these incidents.
The campaign, endorsed by President Barack Obama in September, aims to encourage young people to take a pledge “to recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault; to identify situations in which sexual assault may occur; to intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given; and to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.”
Gaines said after it happened she sought help from her best friend, who told her about safety campaigns, such as It’s On Us and Green Dot, which may have helped her come to grips with what had happened earlier.
“I think they are awesome, I wish I had those when I was a student,” she said. “I think I would have been able to recognize what it was immediately and be more effective in stopping it.”
Sarah Vetsmany, ASUI vice president, said It’s On Us does not assign blame and gives everyone simple tools to prevent sexual assault.
The ASUI launch of the campaign will be 11:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the Idaho Commons. Vetsmany said students will have the opportunity to gain information, take the pledge and be interactive with the campaign.
The most important piece of advice It’s On Us gives to pledgers is to be aware of the situation and for people to trust their instincts, said Virginia Solan, UI coordinator of violence prevention programs.
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Nick Pratt, Cassie Michaud, Whitney Bell and Sarah Vetsmany work in the ASUI office. They are all involved in the “It’s on Us” campaign.
“The most important thing, in those situations, is to listen to your gut,” Solan said. “If you don’t feel right, listen to that — trust it.”
The campaign encourages people to take a pledge to stand up and be active in preventing sexual assault by recognizing dangerous situations early on and stopping it before it happens.
Solan said she is hopeful It’s On Us will get UI students talking about ways to prevent sexual assault and help to encourage one another to seek out further information.
“It is something that everyone can do,” Solan said. “It is saying it’s on us, we have to look out for each other.”
Several other colleges and universities across the nation have adopted it as well, Vetsmany said.
In an effort to reach out to every student group on campus, ASUI will start an It’s On Us video campaign to encourage students to take the pledge, Vetsmany said.
“It is such a stigmatized topic, no one really wants to talk about it,” Gaines said. “(But) I am a big believer in making something positive out of a bad situation.”
Coming to grips with what happened has not been an easy process for Gaines. But she has made progress, even though she said she used to be more outgoing, engaged, trusting and open.
“Now I am less likely to go to a show,” she said.
With help from Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse and her friends, Gaines has made progress in understanding what happened to her. Although she no longer blames herself, Gaines still hasn’t fully come to terms with the incident. She said she doesn’t know if she ever will.
“It might actually stay with me the rest of my life,” Gaines said. “God, I hope not, it would be nice to process it all out.”
Gaines said she is in a good relationship now and is trying to move forward from what happened. To help heal, Gaines said she wants to tell her story to others, in part with the Speakers Bureau, a program at UI where people can share their stories. Gaines said she wants to put her story on paper through words and comics, which was an incredibly important pastime that helped her cope with the assault.
Gaines said programs such as It’s On Us empower students to prevent and report sexual assault, and she’s happy to see ASUI is hopping on board.
The more pledges, the stronger the message of support is, Vetsmany said. Solan said It’s On Us places the responsibility on everyone.
“No one has to do everything,” Solan said. “But everyone has to do something.”
Graham Perednia can be reached at [email protected]