Why is consent such a hard concept to understand? Is it such a large issue on college grounds? This intrigues me, because although a sexual offense is a major offense, the idea of consent seems quite simple to me. I believe consent is obtaining permission to have sexual activities with someone else. Obviously the other person must be conscious and capable of giving an answer. Silence doesn't mean you have permission, and there must be a verbal or physical form of acceptance. However, certain individuals have a hard time being rejected, do not take no as an answer and believe that a no can change to a yes. That is where it becomes an issue. This issue and overall topic really interests me because I am at an age where I should understand this concept. This relates to all college students and takes great part in people's values because it affects their personal life. This personally affects me because I must know this concept to use it in life. 

Having read about this topic and researching really, I got an overview of what people think consent is, and more specifically how to get consent. In the article "Yes means yes, says Mr. Brown" in The Economist there's an explanation of how the concept of consent has evolved in colleges and how sexual violence has improved over the years. Colleges in the United States are under pressure to make their campuses safer, especially if they want to attract more students. To make their campuses safer they increase their security but they also increase their student's knowledge of consent by teaching them the correct way of obtaining it. They have used slogans to promote consent like "No means No." However, they are taking a more positive stance and have begun teaching affirmative consent. It is no longer no, but yes. "Yes means Yes" is the new motto and is becoming a norm in American colleges. In 1991 the Antioch approach was first introduced; Antioch College required students to take sexual encounters step by step to give consent. This approach was greatly mocked. Nevertheless, today it is a norm. On September 28th of 2014, California's governor, Jerry Brown, signed a bill "requiring all colleges that receive state money for student financial aid to enforce a standard of 'affirmative consent', or 'yes means yes'." (Yes means yes, says Mr. Brown. The Economist). In addition, all the Ivy League schools have enforced it with exception of Harvard. The article also shows, through a graph using data from the past years, that sexual violence has greatly decreased since the mid-90s, showing that the approach taken is being effective. This article is more of an informative work on consent from The Economist which is a very credible, trustworthy news website that is also unbiased. 

My second source is a short story that was assigned in our class called "The 'Yes' Means 'Yes' World" by Jake New. (p 430) This story also speaks of the movement from the "No means No" to the "Yes means Yes." The sexual assault prevention group Culture of Respect believed that the evolving conversation of sexual assault needed a more positive name to it. The concept "No means No" would become outdated to all new generations, and for exactly that reason the whole switch was made. It is no longer a matter of lack of consent, someone struggling, and saying or not saying no. If there isn't the word "yes", verbally or physically, then there is no consent. "No means No" has not always been a negative implication. In Canada the phrase was well received in a sexual assault awareness campaign that launched in 1992, and in some states in the United States it is not only a slogan but also the definition of consent. Canada has now adopted the affirmative consent and it has become well know throughout the U.S. as well. Over time however, there have been some negative connotations with the "Yes means Yes" when college students used it for offensive jokes. A fraternity at Yale University was suspended for five years because they marched around campus chanting "No Means Yes, Yes Means Anal." Nevertheless, the "Yes means Yes" formula is an ongoing movement that is likely to be a generally positive thing. The author in this article is arguing that the notion of consent is changing throughout the years as people change. Fortunately, it is changing in the positive way and this issue is improving along the way.

My third source is also a short story from the Carolina Rhetoric named "Why All Colleges Should Adopt Affirmative Consent" by Kelli Gulite (p 441). Colleges in the United States have a hard time handling sexual assault on campus. There are currently 76 colleges and universities that are being investigated by the Department of Education for possibly mismanaging sexual assault cases. September 19th of 2014, Obama's administration launched a campaign to prevent sexual assaults in college, warning colleges that if they did not take steps to curb sexual violence, they could be breaking the anti-discrimination law called Title IX. The author here argues that affirmative consent is a much better standard, because in this case the victim has the recourse. She also states that "the adoption of the affirmative consent standard will lay the groundwork for preventing and ending sexual assaults on campus." (p 444) This source was biased because we clearly notice that the author is for the "Yes Means Yes" movement in American colleges. 

Many may argue that consent is not a simple notion. They may argue that human beings are not that simple and understanding. A sexual encounter is not supposed to be a step by step process. Humans just do not work like that. Nevertheless, why is it so hard to see between right and wrong. These sources gave me a few different perspectives, but did not change my opinion of the subject. I still believe that consent isn't a complicated notion, and that it should be understood in all college grounds. What is so complicated about doing what is right? Is it too difficult to follow a clearly stated rule that is quite simple to follow? I do not understand is why certain people cannot think rationally and are tempted to undermine their future. There is a grey area when alcohol is involved and individuals are intoxicated, but that is why the step by step process was put in place. 

