The Northwest Missourian
10.22.15 | Miranda Patton
There needs to be a college course that teaches students what qualifies as consent. Many people cannot distinguish between the blurred lines as to what consent really is, or believe they already know everything there is to know.
Northwest students are familiar with the Title IX quiz requirement, and have complained about it ever since it became mandatory.
The fact of the matter is consent is one of the single most valuable lessons a person can learn in his or her lifetime. Some may have this preconceived notion that they know what consent is, but it is more multifaceted than many would expect. Individuals need to know what it is and what their rights are if they ever find themselves in an unfavorable situation.
A recent article posted by the Huffington Post authored by Lucy Sherriff discusses a student’s protest to taking consent classes. George Lawlor attends Warwick University in Coventry, England and was personally offended when he received an invitation to take a consent class. He retaliated in the blog “The Tab” stating:
"Let me explain, I love consent," said Lawlor. “Like any self-respecting individual would, I found this to be a massive, painful, bitchy slap in the face. To be invited to such a waste of time was the biggest insult I’ve received in a good few years. It implies I have an insufficient understanding of what does and does not constitute consent and that’s incredibly hurtful. I can’t stress that enough."
