Vice President Joe Biden visited the University of Pittsburgh on April 5 as part of the White House’s “It’s On Us” campaign, which aims to reduce instances of sexual violence on college campuses through education and discussion.

Pitt’s Petersen Events Center was filled with excited students eager to hear what the vice president had to tell them about the sexual assault epidemic on college campuses across the country, and how they could make a difference.

Several notable speakers, including Matt McGorry, star of the Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black” gave personal insight and advice on the dangers of sexual assault on college campuses before Biden’s remarks.  After the moving speeches from victims and fighters of sexual assault, Biden gave an emotionally charged speech on the horrible effects sexual assault has on victims, their friends and family and on society. He incorporated multiple examples of the effects of sexual violence that he has heard while talking to young men and women across the country.

In his remarks, Biden said that, until recently, the court system still allowed prosecutors to ask victims of rape, “What were you wearing?” and “Did you have a bra on?”  His voice swelled with emotion.  “What difference does it make?” he yelled.  The crowd roared.

He went on to inform the crowd of how to properly act when they or someone they know falls victim to sexual assault.  Making sure the person is safe, and making sure they know that resources are available to help them is crucial to their well-being.  Each and every school, he said, has a Title IX office that works with school officials and local and state governments to ensure the safety and security of victims of sexual misconduct while bringing justice to perpetrators.

According to Biden, recent studies have shown that the psychological damage of sexual assault has serious long-term physical effects on victims.  Bottling in their feelings, victims suffer from anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, heart disease, depression, hypertension and a variety of other stress-related illnesses.

The vice president closed his speech by reminding the crowd that until our campuses are free of any form of sexual violence or abuse, authorities and organizations will be relentless in getting their message out and treating each case as a serious matter.

Simple measures, such as increased lighting on college campuses, larger police presence and emergency call boxes, as well as education on what constitutes sexual misconduct and how to prevent and handle cases of sexual violence, have helped to decrease these unfortunate instances.

Point Park’s Title IX office handles all matters dealing with these instances, and is located on the 7th floor of the Student Center.