He said, she said, nobody said
She may not mutter the word
“No,” but her unresponsiveness or
lack of reciprocation says it all.
A campaign developed by Campus Security Services called Silence Isn’t Consent will begin on October 20. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness and educate students.
The campaign is spearheaded by Security and runs in conjunction with the FSU’s Sexual Awareness Week.
“We’re bringing an awareness piece to the students about sexual assault on [and off] campus,” said Special Constable Brent Arseneault for Community and Crime Prevention Programs.
The campaign will involve a table display, a video about the subject matter, and a pledge for students to sign.
Arseneault said he hopes the campaign will help students understand that they are in control and are in the driver’s seat. “A person’s always responsible for (his/her) actions,” he said. “If we can make people aware of the situation before it evolves into something more, that’s what our target is.”
What doesn’t correlate with consent?
“If a person’s not within their mental faculty, that does not become consent,” said Arseneault. “If a girl is passed out or that drunk she doesn’t say no, that doesn’t mean yes.”
The campaign isn’t aimed just at women, though male sexual assault is not as often reported.
“It does happen to men, it does happen to same-sex couples,” said Arseneault. “For guys, it’s a different culture. I don’t know if it’s because society’s created [this idea] that as a man, you’re tough and you’re not supposed to [get assaulted].”
Former senior manager of Counselling and Accessibility Lois Wey doesn’t think seeking help is gender specific.
“It’s difficult for both genders to come forward,” she said. “We serve lots of males and females for a variety of reasons. People have different experiences and perceptions of counselling, and that may influence their willingness to come forward.”
Counselling and Accessibility Services offers free and confidential help for students from professional counsellors.
“The healing process will be facilitated by their professional counselor,” said Wey. “[Our counsellors] have worked with victims of sexual assault, they’ve worked with trauma. [They will] discuss and consult about the incident, the impact on their physical and emotional self and impact of their academics.”
Informing students is the campaign’s ultimate goal, according to Arseneault. “If we deter one person from actually committing the act, we’ve done our job,” he said. “It might mean that a female might drink less, so she’s not at that state where she becomes vulnerable to the situation.”
Wey encourages students to protect each other. “If you go out as a group, you’re watching out for each other,” she said. “The issue is that we take care of each other, and that’s the purpose of this. That we as a Fanshawe College community increase the awareness in students so that we’re taking care of other people in our community.”
One more word of advice.
“Contacting security services is the first approach,” Arseneault said. “If you feel like you’re a victim of sexual assault or assault of any sort, report it.”
Silence Isn’t Consent will run on campus from October 20 to 24. For more information on the campaign, go to www.fanshawec.ca/silence.
Download Fanshawe’s Stay Safe smartphone app, which contains resources to keep staff and students safe on campus.
Call Campus Security at 519- 452-4242 for on-campus emergencies, and Counselling and Accessibility Services at 519-452-4282.
THE FACTS AND STATS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
- 60 per cent of Canadian college- aged males indicated they would commit sexual assault if they were certain they would not get caught
- Four out of five female undergrads surveyed at Canadian universities said they had been victims of violence during a dating relationship
- One study indicated that 83 per cent of women with disabilities will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime
- Of women with disabilities, over 63 per cent were sexually assaulted by someone in the medical system
- It is estimated that one in 10 adult men have been sexually assaulted, the majority of perpetrators being heterosexual men
- Eight out of 10 female students said they had been sexually harassed at school
- Nearly half (49 per cent) of women who are sexually assaulted were in broad daylight
- 93 per cent of sexual assault survivors do not report to the police
More information can be found on www.fanshawec.ca/silence.
SILENCE ISN’T CONSENT TABLE DISPLAY DATES
October 20, R1 lobby, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
October 22. F Hallway, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
October 24, Student Centre, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A campaign developed by Campus Security Services called Silence Isn’t Consent will begin on October 20. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness and educate students.
The campaign is spearheaded by Security and runs in conjunction with the FSU’s Sexual Awareness Week.
“We’re bringing an awareness piece to the students about sexual assault on [and off] campus,” said Special Constable Brent Arseneault for Community and Crime Prevention Programs.
The campaign will involve a table display, a video about the subject matter, and a pledge for students to sign.
Arseneault said he hopes the campaign will help students understand that they are in control and are in the driver’s seat. “A person’s always responsible for (his/her) actions,” he said. “If we can make people aware of the situation before it evolves into something more, that’s what our target is.”
What doesn’t correlate with consent?
“If a person’s not within their mental faculty, that does not become consent,” said Arseneault. “If a girl is passed out or that drunk she doesn’t say no, that doesn’t mean yes.”
The campaign isn’t aimed just at women, though male sexual assault is not as often reported.
“It does happen to men, it does happen to same-sex couples,” said Arseneault. “For guys, it’s a different culture. I don’t know if it’s because society’s created [this idea] that as a man, you’re tough and you’re not supposed to [get assaulted].”
Former senior manager of Counselling and Accessibility Lois Wey doesn’t think seeking help is gender specific.
“It’s difficult for both genders to come forward,” she said. “We serve lots of males and females for a variety of reasons. People have different experiences and perceptions of counselling, and that may influence their willingness to come forward.”
Counselling and Accessibility Services offers free and confidential help for students from professional counsellors.
“The healing process will be facilitated by their professional counselor,” said Wey. “[Our counsellors] have worked with victims of sexual assault, they’ve worked with trauma. [They will] discuss and consult about the incident, the impact on their physical and emotional self and impact of their academics.”
Informing students is the campaign’s ultimate goal, according to Arseneault. “If we deter one person from actually committing the act, we’ve done our job,” he said. “It might mean that a female might drink less, so she’s not at that state where she becomes vulnerable to the situation.”
Wey encourages students to protect each other. “If you go out as a group, you’re watching out for each other,” she said. “The issue is that we take care of each other, and that’s the purpose of this. That we as a Fanshawe College community increase the awareness in students so that we’re taking care of other people in our community.”
One more word of advice.
“Contacting security services is the first approach,” Arseneault said. “If you feel like you’re a victim of sexual assault or assault of any sort, report it.”
Silence Isn’t Consent will run on campus from October 20 to 24. For more information on the campaign, go to www.fanshawec.ca/silence.
Download Fanshawe’s Stay Safe smartphone app, which contains resources to keep staff and students safe on campus.
Call Campus Security at 519- 452-4242 for on-campus emergencies, and Counselling and Accessibility Services at 519-452-4282.
THE FACTS AND STATS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
- 60 per cent of Canadian college- aged males indicated they would commit sexual assault if they were certain they would not get caught
- Four out of five female undergrads surveyed at Canadian universities said they had been victims of violence during a dating relationship
- One study indicated that 83 per cent of women with disabilities will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime
- Of women with disabilities, over 63 per cent were sexually assaulted by someone in the medical system
- It is estimated that one in 10 adult men have been sexually assaulted, the majority of perpetrators being heterosexual men
- Eight out of 10 female students said they had been sexually harassed at school
- Nearly half (49 per cent) of women who are sexually assaulted were in broad daylight
- 93 per cent of sexual assault survivors do not report to the police
More information can be found on www.fanshawec.ca/silence.
SILENCE ISN’T CONSENT TABLE DISPLAY DATES
October 20, R1 lobby, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
October 22. F Hallway, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
October 24, Student Centre, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
