President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced on Friday the implementation of a federal campaign against sexual assault.

The campaign, called “It’s On Us,” addresses everyone on college campuses, but is primarily directed toward men. Already, the program has widespread support from student leaders at approximately 200 colleges nationwide, including the University of Minnesota.

As part of “It’s On Us,” the U.S. Department of Justice will provide 18 colleges nationwide with a total of $6 million to implement programs to reduce sexual assault. Federal officials will also release three documents containing guidelines for colleges to follow when dealing with sexual violence incidents on campus.

This new federal initiative comes at a critical moment. Currently, more than 70 American colleges are under federal investigation for potential violations of Title IX, a law that enforces gender equity.

Only days before “It’s On Us” debuted, the Minnesota Student Association published a report examining how University students think about sexual assault. Similar to “It’s On Us,” MSA voiced the need to include more men in discussions about sexual violence.

We feel that “It’s On Us” is a tremendous step forward in a multilateral shift toward awareness of sexual assault on college campuses. We’re excited by the program’s prospects and are hopeful for its success. With that, we encourage everyone at the University to consider how their behavior relates to the spirit of “It’s On Us” and to work to help prevent sexual violence on campus and beyond.