This year has been one filled with many issues surrounding sex on college campuses, from the former Vanderbilt students being found guilty of rape to the recent investigation of a Penn State fraternity Facebook page containing pictures of nude women broadcast without their consent. In light of recent events, California has recently passed a law that could revolutionize sex on college campuses.
The new bill, referred to as the “Yes means yes” law, makes active consent mandatory in sexual activities. Institutions of higher education who receive state funding have to therefore formally amend their codes of conduct so that all parties in sex must clearly, unambiguously, and vocally express consent. With this new law, if a student brings forward a case of rape, campus police will not longer ask whether the student said “no” or ask about the victim’s condition during the assault. The only question they will ask is whether both parties consented.
After University of California systems implemented a similar code, one that mandates active consent, UCLA reported an increase in the number of rapes reported to campus police as well as the number of students seeking help and counseling after surviving assault. This means that the law has helped to clarify what consent and assault are. In addition, making the conversation around sexual assault a more public matter could empower survivors to take advantage of campus resources and get the help they need.
Colleges are going to revitalize their orientation programs on sexual assault to implement the “yes means yes” initiative. Many colleges have also pushed for bystander intervention programs so that fighting against sexual assault and for awarness is a community effort, rather than something that is solely the responsibility of the victim.
This new law has the capacity to eradicate victim-blaming in sexual assault cases as well as make college campuses a safer place for students.
Do you think that this law will actually change how sexual assault on college campuses is handled?