Make consent workshops compulsory for all incoming students.
Katarzyna Sliwinska submitted on
Tuesday 13th February 2018
Complete
Sexual assault is a real issue in University cities. Shame and social pressures mean it does not often come to light. Workshops on what constitutes consent would:
-create a culture of consent among the student population, that can be carried forward to the world as students leave Univeristy.
-open up a conversation about sexual assault among students.
-help safeguard students by educating about their rights.
Southampton's local rape charity Yellow Door frequently work in community outreach and could facilitate workshops, which could be made a compulsory part of the Freshers period in much the same way as Welcome Talks.
Responses
Here, you can view the complete set of official responses from the sabbatical officers regarding this submission.
Students' Union replied on
Monday 9th Apr 2018 12:16pm
Hi Katarzyna,
Following from my previous response, I have been in contact with relevant University staff regarding your idea. Consent workshops are being looked into, but at this stage they won't be compulsory. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me at vpwelfare@susu.org.
Kind regards,
Sam
Students' Union replied on
Monday 26th Mar 2018 10:30am
Hi Katarzyna,
Thank you for your idea.
We are always open to ideas about how we can broaden the scope of our Expect Respect campaign. Lately, we have been supporting the Sexual Consent Awareness committee's endeavours. The committee have also been providing voluntary consent workshops, and have been pleased with the turnouts.
I have been in contact with other Unions/Universities who provide compulsory consent workshops, and so clearly there is some success here.
I will pass on your idea to relevant University staff, who could advise on the logistics of this.
Kind regards,
Sam Higman - Vice President Welfare (vpwelfare@susu.org)
Actions
Forwarded to Student Life
Friday 16th Feb 2018 1:19pm
Comments
Let's keep this space positive and respectful! Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions, but please remember to keep the conversation friendly and avoid any offensive comments.
Maybe a whole workshop would be poorly attended especially by those maybe it is more crucial for
I think it should just be integrated into the welcome talks, that way it can't be avoided and is a reminder that the university is not supporting this kind of behaviour
Another link to this would be for there to be less focus on getting super drunk by hall reps etc
Consent leaflets in welcome packs could be another way of getting the information out in an easy way
