When two people agree
Campuses like Trinity's have thick handbooks full of sexual assault resources, filled with pages upon pages of legal definitions and situational scenarios. But that doesn't mean that students necessarily understand the new policies. Yes, "consent" is now emblazoned on T-shirts and posters -- it was the subject of a recent public service initiative at Columbia, "Consent is BAE," that was criticized by students -- but even that does not ensure that students can define it.
"I think it's when two people agree to have sex, yeah?" a young woman, a junior at the Fashion Institute of Technology, said when approached on a recent day in Manhattan and asked if she could define "affirmative consent."
"Isn't that when only yes means yes? But not really?" said another woman, a dance and fashion major at N.Y.U.
"I know what consent is; is this different?" said a young man, a sports management major, also at N.Y.U.
Observer's Columbia's new consent is bae campaign seeing backlash-for trivializing consent.