The Student Room Group

Should "consent classes" be mandatory in all universities?

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Original post by RollerBall
I've not been to a class, so I might have missed something, but surely it's just "say no and find her mate/safe place".?

That's not a particularly large stretch to figure out by yourself.


Its very easy to smugly say that now, but when you're drunk and horny, sometimes it is genuinely difficult to arrive at the right decision. Some helpful guidelines for both male and female students would really be helpful I feel. Like it or not, bad decisions are often made with potentially negative consequences for both parties.
Original post by ChaoticButterfly
As we all no the only young people that have sex are uni students.


Good point. My boyfriend never went to uni, but he does still know how to respect women. I would think it's all just common sense really.

Maybe a better could be a big ad campaign, so that it reaches more people and also hopefully has less chance of seeming patronizing. Something like this video?

[video="youtube;fGoWLWS4-kU"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGoWLWS4-kU[/video]
Original post by usingnamespace
I'm pretty sure a little class is not going to stop a rapist. This is the argument, every normal person knows not to rape, same goes with murder etc. If you are a rapist a little lesson will not stop you from raping. Once you have made that jump from normal citizen to psychopath you won't abide by the rules. That's just my two cents anyway.


Unfortunately that couldn't be further from the truth. Many, many sexual assaults occur because the perpetrator genuinely doesn't understand where the line is.
Reply 23
One might hope that this isn't necessary by the time people start uni. This said there does seem to be a proportion of young men whos' ethics and intellect fall way below their chronological age and, in the case of premier league footballers, their salary.
Original post by Rakas21
Only if false rape allegation classes are also taught.

The very idea that somebody feels the need to try teach me not to rape is offensive.


Not so much you but potential individuals within crowds.

That being said only if they are done in a manner that is proven effective. No point if no evidence it works. Which includes classes targeted towards women as well.
Original post by usingnamespace
So are you saying that many rapes occur because they didn't know they were raping another human being? Really? I'm pretty sure rape and sexual assault is a conscious decision. Anyway it's great to have debates like this, just expressing my opinion on this subject.
Thanks.


Example. A male and female are in bed together , the females says they aren't on the pill and that the other needs to wear a condom, before anything else can be said the males penetrates the female, without a condom but knowing the women's feels towards.

Is that rape. Because you would be surprised how many people think it isn't even though a person has completely made it clear a condom was needed.
Original post by cole-slaw
Its very easy to smugly say that now, but when you're drunk and horny, sometimes it is genuinely difficult to arrive at the right decision. Some helpful guidelines for both male and female students would really be helpful I feel. Like it or not, bad decisions are often made with potentially negative consequences for both parties.


If it's that difficult a decision for somebody when they are drunk, I don't see how consent classes are going to help.

By your own logic, they're going to be "drunk and horny" and therefore unable to make the correct decision. Why are morals going to go out the window but the message of a consent class is going to shine through the drunken fog?
Reply 27
Original post by garfeeled
Example. A male and female are in bed together , the females says they aren't on the pill and that the other needs to wear a condom, before anything else can be said the males penetrates the female, without a condom but knowing the women's feels towards.

Is that rape. Because you would be surprised how many people think it isn't even though a person has completely made it clear a condom was needed.


How about if the female claims to be on the pill but isnt and then comes back 9 months later demanding child support maintenance.. Should she be arrested for coercing sex through deceit?
Original post by RollerBall
If it's that difficult a decision for somebody when they are drunk, I don't see how consent classes are going to help.

By your own logic, they're going to be "drunk and horny" and therefore unable to make the correct decision. Why are morals going to go out the window but the message of a consent class is going to shine through the drunken fog?


Its not necessarily that morals have gone out of the window, its the ability to reason coherently. Hence the need to some clear rules that people can remember even when they're drunk. Has she already forgotten your name? Then she's probably too drunk to consent. You might not be able to make a considered judgement, but you should be able to remember what they told you at that class you took.

Why do you think we have fire safety courses, even though 99% of it is obvious stuff? Because it works.
Original post by 010197
Like I said, there's more to it than yes or no. Silence, being drunk, being in a long-term relationship, etc. People often cross boundaries without even realizing, which is why consent classes would be informative.

That's exactly what victim-blaming is. To summarize, it's telling people to be careful and try to avoid becoming a victim rather than telling potential attackers to stop assaulting.

Franchesca Ramsey sums it up perfectly. I highly recommend her videos.
Trigger warning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l3h8fzv-BM


So you are against the program even though it is working and keeping more people safe?

Should we tell children not to look both ways when crossing the road because drivers should be the ones slowing down?

EDIT: I watched the video. She really shouldn't have put herself in such dangerous position. Making yourself vulnerable increases the chances that something bad will happen to you. It is all well and good saying people shouldn't do bad things, but they do. We should all take it upon ourselves to try and keep ourselves safe. Getting black out drunk is moronic and an easy way to get yourself in harms way.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by garfeeled
Not so much you but potential individuals within crowds.

That being said only if they are done in a manner that is proven effective. No point if no evidence it works. Which includes classes targeted towards women as well.


Well the question here then is what proportion of rape is a crime of passion and what proportion is pre-meditated. You can't really stop crimes of passion even if rape any more than you can stop a nobhead hitting somebody outside a pub. It's just their inferior nature.

The annoying thing here though is that's it's another anti-white-male idea aloud to be expressed. No university would dare to sit Muslims down and hold a mandatory class telling them not to be terrorists and yet the number holding sympathies is probably not far off the number who think rape is okay.

Original post by cole-slaw
just the once then, lol.

How did you know she wasn't too drunk to consent? Have you ever been in a situation where a girl WAS too drunk to consent? I have. It does happen, and its helpful to know exactly what you should do in that situation.


Well i'd never approach a girl who was clearly out of it however if i had been talking when she was cognitively capable of holding conversation and then while drunk she kissed me back.. yeah, i'd progress unless she said stop.

I can imagine it does go too far for some people but the question where that line is.
Original post by Rakas21
Well the question here then is what proportion of rape is a crime of passion and what proportion is pre-meditated. You can't really stop crimes of passion even if rape any more than you can stop a nobhead hitting somebody outside a pub. It's just their inferior nature.

The annoying thing here though is that's it's another anti-white-male idea aloud to be expressed. No university would dare to sit Muslims down and hold a mandatory class telling them not to be terrorists and yet the number holding sympathies is probably not far off the number who think rape is okay.



I was not aware that ethnic minorities were to be excluded from these classes, do you have a link for that?


I think they are actually talking to muslims telling them not to be terrorists as we speak. Do you not follow the news?



Well i'd never approach a girl who was clearly out of it however if i had been talking when she was cognitively capable of holding conversation and then while drunk she kissed me back.. yeah, i'd progress unless she said stop.

I can imagine it does go too far for some people but the question where that line is.


sometimes girls get drunker after they get back to yours and cross the line from drunk but capable to completely incapable.

The question of where that line is is EXACTLY what these classes would help you with! This is the entire point.
Original post by 010197
No.. I'm completely in favor of consent classes. And that's where you're wrong. You can't compare a basic life skill to being drugged by a stranger. Of course, risky behavior is more likely to get you in trouble but that doesn't make it your fault, ever.


But you are against this program?

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/06/10/anti-rape-program-halved-number-of-campus-assaults-study

The woman in the video clearly said she had been drinking all day and didn't eat much. That would get anyone pretty **** faced. So not drugged just really drunk, by her own choice.

It is her fault she put herself in a vulnerable position.
if they became compulsory I simply wouldn't show up to them - what a disgusting view of the male gender, as needing "lessons" on how to get consent. and what a disgraceful view on the female gender - as being so fragile that they require men, not themselves, to take responsibility for their own private parts (without rape being involved, obviously)
Reply 34
As someone who has been sexually assaulted I don't think these classes should be provided. I'd prefer it if instead more attention was put on social pressure to not do these things, a class on something doesn't prepare you for the real world at all and what are you going to do if they don't turn up to one of these classes, expel them?
It's ridiculous to have it at uni, but I think it should happen at school. It's a better use of time in PHSE classes than the usual drugs are bad crap or whatever else we learnt.
I voted yes simply because universities have an obligation to students to ensure that everyone is lectured on the important things that will affect them in adult life. some of us are fortunate in that we have wonderful and open parents who we can speak to about anything and vice versa. most aren't so lucky. so universities coming in to fill up the gaps is a good way to ensure that no one is left behind and that everyone can be educated on these issues.
LOL, as if any remotely intelligent, self respecting male would turn up at any of these classes even if they were compulsory.

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