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Is non-consensual sex the same as rape?
That’s
the question burning up blogs and sparking heated discussions around
Yale College, the undergraduate program for Yale University, and other
college campuses after six Yale students received the equivalent of a
slap on the wrist after being found guilty of “non-consensual” sex.
The debate comes on the heels of a new report issued by Yale highlighting sexual misconduct incidents reported from January through June of this year. Some of the report’s findings show:
- None of the students charged and determined to have committed sexual misconduct were expelled.
- All those charged and found guilty received reprimands via letters from the university.
- Some were instructed to get counseling.
- Two were suspended from school, the harshest penalty being for two semesters.
Here’s how Yale officially defines “sexual misconduct” in its conduct code:
Any sexual activity for which clear and voluntary consent has not been given in advance; any sexual activity with someone who is incapable of giving valid consent because, for example, she or he is sleeping or otherwise incapacitated due to alcohol or drugs; any act of sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, or stalking. Sexual misconduct includes nonphysical actions such as digital media stalking, cyberbullying, and nonconsensual recording of a sexual nature.
In a separate section, Yale further discusses sexual misconduct and describes how the school deals with such behavior:
Sexual misconduct is antithetical to the standards and ideals of our community and will not be tolerated. Yale aims to eradicate sexual misconduct through education, training, clear policies, and serious consequences for violations of these policies.
What are the “serious consequences” for
violating Yale’s policies? Apparently they include: a verbal reprimand,
a written reprimand, counseling on proper conduct and respect for
others, and in the rarest circumstances, suspension from school for a
semester or two.
Yale is located in New Haven, Conn. Connecticut law
classifies fourth-degree sexual assault as either a misdemeanor or a
felony, where an individual “subjects another person to sexual contact
without such other person’s consent.”
A misdemeanor conviction for sexual assault in Connecticut carries up to a year in prison
and a felony conviction could mean up to five years behind bars.
However, if it happens on the Yale campus, you could get just a letter
and a suggestion that you get counseling.
A review of the university’s provost’s
report shows exactly how Yale College dealt with three students
determined to be guilty of “non-consensual sex.”
Case No. 1 involved a student that
filed a charge of non-consensual sex and initially decided not to pursue
the matter. The reported student was “counseled on appropriate
conduct.” However, the case was re-filed and the evidence affirmed the
charge. The male student was given a written reprimand.
In a second case, two males were
charged with non-consensual sex. In this case, both were found to have
violated the school’s policy on sexual misconduct and were sent letters
and “measures were taken to limit contact between the parties.”
A third case we reviewed actually
ended with the male student being suspended for two semesters. In this
instance, the suspension was also met with a recommendation for
continued counseling on alcohol abuse, appropriate sexual behavior and
respectful treatment of others.
Apparently none of the six cases that
were investigated and determined to be violations of Yale’s sexual
misconduct rules warranted expulsion from college. Further, the word
“rape” was not mentioned anywhere in the section. That has many people
upset, including some Yale students returning in the fall.
Earlier this summer, Alexandra Brodsky joined more than 160,000 people who signed an online petition
urging Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to get involved
and “hold colleges accountable that break the law by refusing to protect
students from sexual assault.” Brodsky was also part of the group
that delivered the petition to the Education Department.
This is also not the first time Yale has been involved in a controversy connected to sex. In 2011, a suit was filed against Yale for “failing to eliminate a hostile sexual environment on campus.” Last summer, the school managed to shut down the investigation by agreeing to some changes in the way the campus handles complaints alleging sexual misconduct.
Obviously, the Yalies pushing this are members of the Roman Polanski-Whoopi Goldberg Sexual Society.
Obviously, the Yalies pushing this are members of the Roman Polanski-Whoopi Goldberg Sexual Society.
http://tinyurl.com/lslndwu
2 comments:
I hope these female students are reporting rape to the POLICE first-- then, the college. Sexual assaulters who happen to be college students are adults, and should be treated as such. Whatever punishment Yale dishes out should be merely an addition to the legal consequences.
Rapists that are serving time in jail are not going to be on campus, that's for sure...
If nothing else, getting the police involved forces Yale's hand instead of allowing them to dismiss or minimize instances of sexual assault/rape.
The "rape" we are talking about here is probably feminist defined rape, where the woman gets to decide the next morning that she was raped--no matter how much verbal consent she gave the night before. I feel sorry for the boys who victimized by the insanity of college sexual misconduct inquisitions.
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