SMC students voice their opinions about consent
No means no and yes means yes. This is something Santa Monica College wants to emphasize this month. Informative workshops and events are held to educating the Santa Monica College community and to create a safer environment on campus. But what is sexual assault and where do we draw the line between a serious action and someone slapping your butt as a joke? SMC students give your their thoughts of "Consent Month" and sexual harassment.
Name: Anya Gumberg
Major: Mathematics
What does sexual assault and consent mean to you?
Sexual assault would be is there is resistance and you continue forcing yourself on somebody and consent would obviously be no resistance. Not just verbal but I guess also physical.
I mean I've only been here for a semester so I don't know if its a problem at Santa Monica [College] specifically. I haven't experience anything here and I haven't noticed anything here.
What do you think of SMC hosting "Consent month"?
Well I don't know about the whole month part but I know that making emphasis on it is a good point. Bringing attention to something that I didn't even realized was a problem, which I'm sure people didn't realize either, and I'm sure this kind of emphasis that it's wrong to those who thought that it wasn't like a big deal. I guess it could also give that support to someone to stand up if they're uncomfortable in a situation, because they know it's a common problem, and not just a situation with them personally.
Name: Daniel Bassett
Major: Theater Arts
What do you consider sexual assault?
I guess when something is forced. Like if the other party doesn't want to, you know, when they don't say yes, it's like a "no," you know.
Do you think sexual assault occurs at SMC?
Not that I know of. I mean, I don't stay around campus that much, but I can see it maybe being a problem. like on that walkway [next to the quad] it seems like people yell at girls or whatever so that could be an issue.
Name: Isaac Salas
Major: Biology
What do you consider sexual harassment?
When a person touches someone else or verbally abuses them in a sexual manner and the victim is getting offended by it and the person doesn't catch the messages and he continues. So I consider that sexual harassment.
Personally I don't see much of it going on. Then again I'm not a girl so I wouldn't know but yeah it could be that guys tend to take advantage of them. I don't think girls sexually harass guys on campus.
What do you think of SMC hosting "Consent month"?
It's pretty good actually because then more people will be aware. I think like the more it gets out there, more people are going to stop doing it because then they're going to be put on the spot, nobody wants that.
Name: Isabel Castillo
Major: Between Business management and Philosophy
What does sexual assault and consent mean to you?
Well consent is obviously when you verbally get the right to someone to do something and sexual assault is when you aren't okay with someone doing certain things. Like that could be that you turned your back and someone slaps your butt you know. Like you didn't give them a consent to do that so that would be considered sexual assault.
Do you think sexual assault occurs on SMC?
The couple of times I've been here, maybe like twice, someone has said like kind of vulgar comments to be but other than that it's nothing like hand on in my opinion.
Do you think having a "Consent month" is a good thing?
Yeah definitely, I think many people are unaware of their actions. Having events definitely makes people conscious of what they do and what they say. Sometimes you think that a verbal abuse isn't really abuse, you just think it's like messing around or hitting on someone.