Nana Wu
WASHINGTON, DC — For decades, the national discourse surrounding campus sexual assault has frequently pivoted toward the reactive: how colleges respond to incidents, how judicial processes are handled, and how survivors are supported. However, a landmark report released today by the advocacy organization It’s On Us shifts the lens toward the proactive, suggesting that the root of the crisis may lie in the years long before a student ever sets foot on a university campus.
The new research, titled The Preparation Problem: How the System Ignores Young Men’s Sex Education Needs, posits that the current, inconsistent, and often incomplete landscape of American sex education leaves young men fundamentally unprepared to engage with the complex social dynamics of college life. By examining the disconnect between early-life education and adult sexual assault prevention programming, the report challenges stakeholders to rethink how we socialize young men regarding consent, healthy relationships, and bodily autonomy.
The Core Thesis: A Failure of Pre-Collegiate Education
The report, spearheaded by the team at It’s On Us—an initiative under the Civic Nation nonprofit—seeks to address a persistent void in prevention science. While research has consistently identified the necessity of engaging men as active participants in the fight against sexual violence, there has been little empirical data on whether these men possess the foundational knowledge required to digest that programming.
"This research demonstrates that the work to prevent campus sexual assault starts long before students step onto a college campus," said Tracey Vitchers, Executive Director of It’s On Us. "It begins with the movies they watch, the conversations they have with trusted adults, the content of their health classes in school, and the many ways they learn about sex as they grow up. It’s clear that the current system is failing young men."
The study suggests that when colleges implement mandatory sexual assault prevention training, they are often assuming a baseline of knowledge that simply does not exist for a significant portion of the student body. If a student reaches the age of 18 without a coherent, evidence-based understanding of what constitutes consent, a one-hour campus workshop is unlikely to bridge that chasm.
Methodology: Centering Diverse Experiences
To conduct this analysis, It’s On Us partnered with the research platform QualtricsXM to survey more than 1,000 college-aged men. The research design was deliberate and inclusive, opting to oversample Black and LGBTQ+ men. This decision was informed by the organization’s previous report, Prevention is a Team Sport, which found that Black and LGBTQ+ college men in athletics were more likely to identify healthy versus unhealthy relationships compared to their peers.
By specifically focusing on these demographics, the researchers aimed to understand how intersectional identities influence one’s exposure to—and retention of—sexual health and consent education. The resulting data provides a nuanced look at the disparity in education quality, suggesting that the "preparation problem" is not a monolith but is instead deeply influenced by socioeconomic status, regional school board policies, and cultural narratives.
Chronology of a Crisis: From Classroom to Campus
The "Preparation Problem" can be mapped across three distinct developmental phases:
Phase I: The K-12 Deficit
For many young men, sex education in the United States remains a patchwork of abstinence-only curricula, outdated health modules, or, in many cases, total silence. The report notes that when sex education is provided, it is often overly focused on the mechanics of reproduction or the avoidance of disease, leaving little room for discussions on emotional intelligence, communication, and power dynamics.
Phase II: The Informal Curriculum
When formal education fails, young men turn to peer groups, digital media, and pop culture to fill the gaps. The report suggests that this "informal curriculum" is often rife with toxic stereotypes, misconceptions about consent, and skewed expectations of gender roles. By the time these individuals reach college, they have spent years internalizing a narrative that may actively contradict the goals of modern prevention programming.
Phase III: The Campus Collision
The collision occurs when students arrive on campus and are introduced to sexual assault prevention programs. For many, these programs are their first formal introduction to the concept of affirmative consent. Because these programs are often designed as "refresher" courses rather than foundational education, they fail to reach the students who are most in need of basic instruction, creating a cycle of confusion and ineffective prevention.
Implications for Future Policy and Practice
The implications of the It’s On Us report are profound for both K-12 educators and university administrators. The report argues that institutions can no longer afford to work in silos.
Redefining Prevention Programming
Vitchers and her team advocate for a "meet them where they are" approach. This means that college-level programming must be tiered. Rather than a "one-size-fits-all" model, universities should implement assessments that determine a student’s baseline understanding of consent and healthy relationships, tailoring the intensity and content of the training accordingly.
The Need for Early Intervention
The report acts as a call to action for school boards and policymakers to mandate comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education that includes modules on healthy relationship dynamics and consent. By treating these topics as essential life skills—on par with literacy or numeracy—society can ensure that the next generation of college men enters campus with the tools necessary to foster a culture of safety and respect.
Supporting Data and Broader Context
While the full report details the specific survey findings, the preliminary takeaways underscore a systemic weakness in our educational infrastructure. The data suggests that when young men are provided with consistent, accurate, and inclusive education, their ability to navigate complex social situations improves drastically.
The report also highlights the role of institutional trust. When prevention programs are viewed as punitive or condescending, engagement drops. Conversely, when programs are framed as a "team sport"—emphasizing that every student has a role in protecting their community—the efficacy of these initiatives increases. This is particularly evident among the oversampled cohorts in the study, where peer-led education proved to be more successful than traditional, top-down lectures.
A Call for Systemic Reform
As It’s On Us begins to integrate these findings into their own curriculum development and training materials, they are urging other national organizations to follow suit. The goal is to create a continuum of care that starts in the classroom and continues through graduation.
This shift in strategy represents a maturing of the movement to combat campus sexual assault. It acknowledges that if we want to change the culture of our universities, we must first change the way we raise our young men.
"To set them up for success, we need to meet college men where they are," Vitchers reiterated. "This requires us to move past the finger-pointing and acknowledge that our current, disjointed system is the reason we are still fighting this battle every semester."
About the Organizations
It’s On Us
Founded in 2014 as an initiative of the Obama-Biden White House, It’s On Us has evolved into the nation’s preeminent student-organizing program for sexual assault prevention. By leveraging grassroots organizing, digital awareness campaigns, and partnerships with media and corporate entities, the organization reaches millions of students annually. Their mission remains focused on shifting the cultural landscape from one of bystander inaction to active, collective responsibility.
Civic Nation
Civic Nation serves as the parent organization and impact hub for several high-profile social initiatives, including When We All Vote, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, and It’s On Us. By acting as a nexus for leaders, influencers, and grassroots organizers, Civic Nation works to strengthen the foundations of civic participation and address the most pressing challenges facing the American public today.
For more information on the findings of The Preparation Problem, visit itsonus.org to download the full report and executive summary.
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