Sexual Assault On Campus

Consider this: within the next year and a half, one student in this room will be a victim of sexual assault. Well, maybe not literally, but according to a New York Times article written in September 2015, over a fourth of undergraduate college students claim to have been sexually assaulted (Perez-Pena). Keep in mind that these instances are only the reported assaults. The website Best Colleges references that “The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) estimates that 95% of U.S. campus rapes go unreported” (“The Realities of Sexual Assault on Campus”). So, though theoretically only one victim in this room would report their assault, others of us could still be victimized. The government should mandate that all colleges receiving government funding

“No means No” is a widely accepted phrase, explaining that when someone says the word “no,” it is illegal to have sex with them, as it would then be against their will. However, the phrase “no means no” implies that people are readily wanting to have sex all the time, unless they say no. Affirmative consent has now been redefined into a “yes means yes” campaign. “Yes means yes” clarifies that you can only have sex with someone who physically and verbally say “yes.” It also means that if someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they are not in a comprehensive state to make the choice of whether to engage in sex or not.

Today I hope to persuade you to be in favor of the concept that the government should mandate all colleges receiving government funding to adopt affirmative consent measures for the following reasons: campuses are neglecting to educate students regarding affirmative consent, and colleges are allowing sexual harassment to thrive under their

California’s legislation requires many preventative tactics; including, education of sexual assaults during student orientation, and available counseling resources (Jackson). Like sexual assault, the state’s proposition is not limited to college students (Jackson). The Washington Post wrote “To better educate California’s youth on affirmative consent… public high schools [have] develop[ed] [a] curriculum that covers ‘yes means yes,’ the consequences of sexual violence, and how to develop healthy peer relationships”