Yale Tries to Clarify What Sexual Misconduct Is in a New Guide
Sex is rarely a straightforward matter on college campuses, but in recent years it has been a particularly fraught issue at Yale University. Two years ago a federal complaint described a “hostile sexual environment on campus,” and more recently an accounting of sexual misconduct complaints prompted protests that the university was not punishing wrongdoers aggressively enough.
So to help clarify the meaning of “nonconsensual sex,” the parameters of acceptable sexual behavior and the penalties for anyone who violates those limits the university has enlisted the help of 16 imaginary people.A document Yale released this week includes eight short sketches in which fictional characters navigate sexual encounters, sometimes respecting each other’s right to consent, and sometimes not.
“Jamie and Cameron are at a party,” begins one of the hypothetical situations. “It is crowded on the dance floor and they are briefly pressed together. Later, Jamie encounters Cameron in the hallway and smiles. Cameron, who is now very drunk, follows Jamie into the bathroom and forces Jamie to have sex.”
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