With just two weeks remaining in office, Vice President Joe Biden issued his last call to action for the “It’s on Us” campaign, calling on university administrators to “step up” and end sexual assault on college campuses. Today, the White House hosts the final It’s On Us summit, an event focused on stopping sexual violence against students that will sum up a six-year initiative, USA Today reports. The White House released its second and final report on student sexual assault and a guide for university and college presidents, chancellors and senior administrators. Biden and President Obama established a White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault three years ago.
Today, members of the Obama administration are meeting with student leaders, federal representatives, community organizers, and business leaders to discuss how sexual assault is being addressed on campuses. In a message yesterday, Biden recapped the numerous headline-grabbing incidents of sexual assault on college campuses in the past year, citing the assault of a woman by three men after a football game, with videos posted on social media; a student at a military service academy falling victim to “sexually humiliating hazing rituals at the hands of his peers,” and threats of sexual violence against the LGBT community via social media including Yik Yak. Biden urged college and university presidents, chancellors and senior administrators to change the culture on their campuses by protecting students and supporting survivors, making it clear that sexual violence will not be tolerated. “We haven’t seen enough of you,” Biden said in a message posted to Medium.