Sexual Consent Classes are a No-Show
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Remember last week we said Oxford University – amongst many other universities – was starting to hold compulsory consent classes? To teach young adults about the meaning of consent and sexual harassment?
Well, at Cambridge, the university’s Women’s Officer said it has been a “huge step backward”, and posted a photo of an empty lecture hall. Students, however, have said there was a miscommunication, and they did not receive an email detailing when the workshops would be taking place.
The student union president, Laura Minoli, said that there had in fact been ‘various points of miscommunication’. The Women’s Officer for Clare College denied this, however, in her Facebook post which has since been deleted. The Facebook post said:
“Students were told Sunday, emailed last night and told again this morning – so it wasn’t a miscommunication about timings.”
The consent workshop has been rescheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
A spokesperson from the university spoke to Varsity, saying, “Consent classes are a key part of our students introduction to university life.”
After a number of students walked out of a sexual consent class, there was something of a backlash on Twitter:
Sorry but you are at university because you want to learn more & don't know everything yet. Applies to sexual consent too.
— Sorana Vieru (@SoranaVieru) October 1, 2016
Anyone walking out of sexual consent classes is simply saying to the world, "I am to be avoided by all females for the forseeable future."
— Nathalie Gordon (@awlilnatty) October 3, 2016
According to a 2014 survey by Cambridge Speaks Out, up to 77% of students have experienced sexual harassment of some kind.
The main point is this:
If you’re a man, and you walk out of a class, the sole purpose of which is to educate you on the meaning of consent, how to respect women and the like, no one will want to go near you.
Just a helpful tip.