Vol. CXXXV, No. 3
University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
15 September, 2014
The consent conversation
From “no means no” to “yes means yes,” the language of consent on North American university campuses may be changing The victim, a 21-year-old woman, did not report the incident until the attackers were back at their home campus three weeks later. It is not only administrative complications that hinder student assault victims in Canada; many sexual assault cases go unreported due to the social stigma and misunderstanding surrounding the issue of rape, resulting in the inability of many college students to fully understand the consequences of certain behaviors they engage in. During this year’s orientation week at Carleton University, a number of students were photographed wearing t-shirts that said “Fuck Safe Space.” The students involved said that the original purpose of the shirts was to rebel against the pampering of firstyear students. However, the message
was interpreted by some as promoting rape culture and condemning the notion of the university providing a safe space for its students.
In recent weeks, American government officials have moved to reduce the prevalence of campus sexual assaults and change language around sexual consent. On September 4, the California legislature passed a law that requires state colleges and universities to change or intensify their investigations of assault claims as a way of attempting to decrease the number of campus assaults. Bill SB967, or the Yes Means Yes bill, was also enacted with the inten-
tion of clarifying what constitutes sexual consent. Under the bill, consent is defined as “an affirmative, unambiguous and conscious decision” from each participant wanting to engage in sexual activity, at every stage of that sexual activity. The bill is also part of a broader movement from traditional “no means no” consent language to “yes means yes.” “Consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual encounter and can be revoked at any time,” the bill reads. The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) developed its No Means No campaign nearly 20 years ago to reduce the occurrence of sexual assault on college and university campuses. California public and private sec-
ondary schools are also required to adopt a “victim-centered” approach to handling and enforcing policies set in place to not only prevent assaults, but to support victims by providing them with clear options for getting any help they may need. California’s change in protocols is partly a response to a federal bill passed earlier in July. The new law was set in place to help manage the high number of assaults taking place on college campuses throughout the United Sates. It mandates that schools must conduct anonymous surveys in order to assess and make public the extent of sexual assaults taking place within their student populations.
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In conversation with Kenneth Yip
Hundreds attend Red & Blue Bowl
Three writers on school spirit or lack thereof
The costs and benefits of owning and adopting pets
We review local art exhibits in Toronto this fall
Meet one of U of T’s favourite profs
Blues defeat Lions in 70-0 shutout in Homecoming game
Caitlyn Fleming
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Weeks into the start of the new school year, colleges and universities are already under intense pressure from government officials and members of the public to change protocols for handling incidences of on-campus sexual assault in the wake of a number of incidents at Canadian institutions. Last week, the University of Ottawa suspended its men’s hockey team after two players were charged with sexually assaulting a young woman in Thunder Bay. The assault took place in February, when the team was in town to compete against Lakehead University.
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