.
A POLICY PART A NATIONAL
MOVEMENT KNOWN AS AFFIRMATIVE
CONSENT OR YES MEANS YES HAS
BEEN ADOPTED IN BOTH STATE LAWS
AND MANY COLLEGES.
JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT
AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT AND THE
CONTROVERSY.
WHAT IS AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT.
IT'S REALLY CLARIFYING AN
EXISTING POLICY AT UNIVERSITY
OF MINNESOTA WHERE OUR CONSENT
WAS DEFINED AS MUTUALLY
UNDERSTOOD.
THAT CAN BE VERY AMBIGUOUS AND
CONFUSING SO THE NEW POLICY
CHANGE SEEKS TO UPDATE THAT TO
A YES MEANS YES STANDARD.
RATHER THAN ASKING PEOPLE DID
YOU OBTAIN A NO WHEN ENGAGING
IN SEX, WE'RE SHIFTING TO A
STANDARD WHERE YOU NEED TO
OBTAIN A YES.
THIS POLICY WENT BEFORE THE
BOARD OF REGENTS AND WAS
DELAYED.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO INTO
EFFECT THIS MONTH, BUT THEY
WANT TO LOOK AT IT.
ONE CONCERN WAS THAT IT WILL
NEGATIVELY IMPACT AND PUT TOO
MUCH OF A BURDEN ON THOSE THAT
ARE ACCUSED.
YOU'VE GOT VERY SMART LEGAL
MINDS SAYING THIS.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE?
I'D SAY WE HAVE EQUALLY
SMART LEGAL MINDS SAYING THAT'S
NOT THE CASE AT ALL.
I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO
NOTE THIS WAS REVIEWED BY THE
GENERAL COUNSEL.
IT'S NOT AS THOUGH THEY DON'T
LOOK AT POLICY CHANGES AND
LEGAL CONSEQUENCES.
THERE IS A LOT OF SUPPORT.
TO TAKE BOARD OPINIONS WHO
DON'T HAVE LEGAL BACKGROUND AND
SAY THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO ASSERT
A LEGAL PROBLEM HERE SEEMS TO
BE A BIT LIKE JUMPING THE GUN.
ANOTHER ISSUE THAT OCCURRED
THIS WEEK IS THAT THE STAR
TRIBUNE RAN THIS STORY ON THE
FRONT PAGE AND RAN ALSO A
PICTURE OF A CONTRACT THAT IS
ON VARIOUS WEBSITES THAT SAYS
TAKE A PICTURE OF YOU AND YOUR
PARTNER, THEN YOU CAN FILL OUT
THE FORM ON THE BACK, ALWAYS
USE PROTECTION, AND APPARENTLY
A LOT OF STUDENTS HAD PRETTY
STRONG REACTIONS.
THE STAR TRIBUNE HAS SINCE RUN
A CLARIFICATION SAYING, THIS
CONTRACT WAS NOT PART OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA'S
PROGRAM.
HOW HAS THAT STORY IMPACTED THE
REACTION OF STUDENTS?
I THINK BECAUSE THE PICTURE
WAS PLACED AND TWEETED OUT,
THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE ASSUMED WAS
GOING ON AT UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA.
A CORRECTION ISN'T GOING TO
CHANGE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE
PUBLIC GOT THAT IMPRESSION,
RIGHTFULLY SO.
WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF
KIDS?
ABSOLUTELY SHOCK.
I HAD E-MAILS COMING IN AND
CALLING AND TEXTING ME ASKING
WHY I'M GOING TO BE GETTING
THEM TO SIGN A CONTRACT.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
THIS POLICY WAS SOMETHING THAT
STUDENTS, IN OVERWHELMING
SUPPORT, VOTED IN A RECORD
TURNOUT.
STUDENTS WERE CONFUSED BECAUSE
THIS WAS NOT IN LINE WITH WHAT
WE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY TALKING
ABOUT.
A CONTRACT IS IN NO WAY PART OF
THE POLICY.
THE POLICY JUST SEEKS TO
CLARIFY UNDERSTANDING OF
CONSENT.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A PART OF A
NATIONAL MOVEMENT THAT HAS
TAKEN OFF IN OTHER STATES.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY STATE LAWS.
IT'S REQUIRED IN STATE OF
CALIFORNIA COLLEGES.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE WAY IT'S
WORKED IN OTHER PLACES?
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I JUST READ AN EDITORIAL
WRITTEN BY A STUDENT AT YALE
UNIVERSITY WHO SAID THEIR
POLICY HAS ACTUALLY CAUSED A
GREATER LEVEL OF PREVENTION AND
THAT THERE'S A GREATER
UNDERSTANDING ON THEIR CAMPUS.
WHILE WE DON'T HAVE HARD
NUMBERS YET, IOWA, CALIFORNIA,
WE HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN NEGATIVE
PUSH BACK AND I'VE ONLY SEEN
POSITIVE, AS WELL AS SCHOOLS
WHO HAVE HAD THIS POLICY FOR
WELL OVER TEN YEARS, AND
BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS PRECEDENT
AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE
NEGATIVE RAMIFICATIONS, I'D SAY
WE'RE DEVELOPING A BEST
PRACTICE AND SHOULD KEEP MOVING
FORWARD WITH IT.