The student-led movement Not On My Campus, which raises awareness for sexual violence and promotes a safe campus for college students on a national level, officially has a chapter at Point Park University.

The Point Park chapter was established this year, when the United Student Government (USG) officially recognized it as a campus club. Students interested in volunteering for Not On My Campus can sign a pledge on the chapter’s Facebook page and Instagram, which is @NotOnMyCampusPPU.

Not On My Campus started in 2013 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and has since gained attention nationwide on other college campuses.

Syrah Sherwood, president of the club, said she found out about Not On My Campus last year from a friend’s Facebook post regarding the University of Alabama’s chapter. She thought it was a good idea and started the process of starting a Point Park chapter last year.

“Everybody has been affected by [sexual assault] in some way, whether it be directly or someone they know, everybody knows somebody or is that somebody,” Sherwood said. “I just feel like it isn’t talked about enough. It’s usually glazed over pretty quickly. I just wanted everyone here to feel like they were safe and supported at all times.”

Caleb Rodgers, resident director at Point Park, said that it is important for the students to know that sexual assault does occur on their campus.

“I think that until you’re able to bring it home and say this is an issue on every college campus, and Point Park is no exception to that,” Rodgers said. “That’s when we start to see a shift in the culture and students really standing up and rallying around each other and rallying for themselves and saying ‘this is an issue we’re experiencing and we’re not going to stand for it.’”

To increase visibility and reach more residential students, Point Park has involved Resident Educators (RE) into the program.

Daniel Strickland, sophomore secondary special education major and freshman RE, said that REs supporting the Not On My Campus campaign is important because students need to know that their REs are going to support them.

“Our job [as REs] is to educate them and initially we want them to see the Not On My Campus posters and signs and feel safe and welcomed,” Strickland said.

There is also a photo campaign that involves participants writing the words ‘Not On My Campus’ on the palm of their hand and facing it towards the camera. Every RE has a campaign photo posted on their resident floor as a reminder that they will not allow sexual assault to happen on this campus.

Elizabeth Rosemeyer, the University’s Title IX coordinator, said that Not On My Campus and the Title IX office have similar goals such as preventing any type of sexual harassment or sexual violence happening on our campus and supporting any students who experience sexual violence or harassment anywhere.

“We want to make sure that those students are aware of what support and resources are available to them,” Rosemeyer said.

The nationwide Not On My Campus movement strives to end the silence regarding sexual violence on campuses across America.

Wesley Ehle, vice president of the club, said that compared to other college campus chapters of Not On My Campus, Point Park is different.

“Our campus is not just a campus… our campus is a city,” Ehle said. “When we say, ‘Not on my campus,’ we mean our whole campus, which includes the city. This is our home, this is our campus.”