#BetterSexTalk, a student-run initiative to raise awareness of the issues surrounding inadequate sex education and its relationship to sexual assault on college campuses, is set to expand beyond NYU to college campuses across the country including Harvard, Brown and Stanford. The campaign — cofounded by Gallatin junior Josy Jablons and CAS senior Meghan Racklin — seeks to give students “the sex talk they (probably) never got” and to encourage earnest dialogue about sex and affirmative consent. NYU has been taking steps toward combating sexual assault on campus, and it is encouraging to see students stepping in and taking initiative.

This private campaign, admirable as it is, also throws the abysmal standard of current curricula into sharp relief. As of January of this year, only 19 states require that sex education, if taught, must be “medically, factually or technically accurate” — as if scientific accuracy were an undue imposition on the school system. In fact, in a majority of states, parents have the final say over whether their children receive any sex education at all. When students have no control over whether or not they receive sex education, it hammers home the message that their sex lives are not their own. Some states are making progress in implementing sex education in school systems, but a great deal of work is left to be done.

Though NYU requires its incoming students to complete an online program addressing sexual misconduct called “Think About It,” the university should always be open to improving their approach to sex education, particularly when sexual abuse on campuses is a subject of nationwide debate. NYU students have always been a progressive and ambitious group, and the administration should reward this spirit by welcoming their ideas with open arms. By embracing the #BetterSexTalk program, NYU would be making an effort to improve its approach toward sexual assault prevention, particularly in light of the administration’s disastrous handling of previous cases.

The speed with which the #BetterSexTalk expansion campaign met and exceeded its fundraising goal — donors gave over $3,000 in two weeks — speaks to the common understanding that sex education in the United States is severely lacking. Few students have emerged from excruciatingly uncomfortable sex education classes any the wiser about consent, abuse or protection. The campaign website lists some experiences, including “I made a poster about chlamydia. On bright orange poster board. Using glitter.” For college students especially, the unpleasant memories of these classes are still fresh, and so it is natural that college students would take it upon themselves to fix them. Momentum for the campaign, however, came from supporters of all backgrounds, united by the understanding that the current system is wholly inadequate. Sex education in the United States has a slew of problems, and #BetterSexTalk can help fix them one campus at a time.

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A previous version of this article credited Josy Jablons as the campaign’s creator. #BetterSexTalk was co-founded by Jablons and CAS senior Meghan Racklin.