Students across campus have created multiple organizations for many years, and these innovations have fostered a well-rounded environment at Rowan University. From clubs involving culture, religion, identity, hobbies, and organizations for specific majors, students have helped build a united community. 

What started first as the Stop Gender Based Violence club, founded by Rowan graduate Kit Lillia, in 2023, is now the It’s On Us chapter at Rowan University. The club’s mission still stands: to help raise awareness and address initiatives of violence on campus. The club changed its name when it became a chapter of It’s on Us, a national organization that focuses on changing the culture of sexual assault on campus. 

The club has already achieved many things, from being nationally recognized as the Rowan chapter of It’s on Us, it has come a long way from an idea Lillia had. Their latest victory has been getting chartered by the Student Government Association (SGA),  on Sept. 17. This has allowed for the club to receive an official budget from the SGA as it has been deemed necessary for the university to function properly.

Their newest advisor, Darlene Gause, who has worked in the ASCEND office and as an event coordinator for STEM students within the program, joined this semester. 

“What I’m here to do is get support and anything that they need,” Gause said. 

It’s on Us planned their first event just a couple of days ago which Gause had attended. The event was a jeopardy that had incentives for winners that night. She said that through the department of first-generation students, she was able to provide them with prizes as the club wasn’t chartered at that time.  

Erwin Wambi is the special operations chair for the club, his role includes filling in for any executive board member who is out because they’re sick or occupied. He hopes that this budget will allow for a bigger capacity to hold more events, with fun prizes, and in turn, will foster greater awareness of It’s on Us. 

“I want to get more students involved because when it comes to the goal of our club, it is not what students expect, students look more for an extracurricular activity, sometimes they may not be looking to go to a club to learn more,” Wambi said, “I hope to get more students engaged in our club and to balance the aspects of fun as it is a extracurricular activity, but in the other hand they also get a sense of impact.” 

His motives are to capture the engagement of students through fun events they have planned, that implement elements of consent like their cookie-tasting event, where students blindfold themselves to guess the flavor of the cookie. It’s on Us wants to make an impact on campus to tackle those topics of violence and sexual harassment, and it can be tough to start conversations within these topics as it is a sensitive issue. 

In the first week of the semester, there were different incidents of assault, domestic violence, and harassment, which were found on the Rowan Crime Log. The log tells users when this incident was reported, what the nature of the crime was, and also where the crime occurred. This tool is useful for students, faculty, and even parents who are concerned about the safety of the university. 

With incidents like these, and a recent vehicle theft, the state of Rowan’s safety is a topic of conversation for many students. Some of them who are enrolled at Rowan and attend off-campus parties have had experience with issues of having fun safely, because of drink spiking or harassment. 

The establishment of this club and continued efforts to promote being safe at a college campus from sexual harassment, assault, and violence, permits a safe space for victims and their supporters. It’s on Us will hold events throughout the semester dedicated to informing students on safety and Title IX. As a newly chartered organization, their commitment to raising awareness has become even stronger. 

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