For years I have studied sexual violence. It’s an issue that divides people in the room. Whenever I tell folx what I research they either dive in, discuss, and debate, or they deflect and walk away. That’s okay because I remain passionate about studying sexual violence and I am comfortable with the discomfort.
Lately, the discussions and debates revolve around whether universities should have sexual consent education and if so, should it be mandatory? MRU, for example, offers consent education (and other sexual violence programming) on an ad hoc basis to anyone who seeks the info, and it is part of a larger educational program for Resident Advisors and other student leaders.
Unfortunately for the MRU community, budget cuts have dissolved the Centre for Equity and Meaningful Inclusion (CEMI) and our Sexual Violence Coordinator (SVC) is now the sole person responsible for programming and services with the help of volunteers.