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USC students are required to detail sexual history in order to register for classes

internalizedhomophobia

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internalizedhomophobia Superstar

internalizedhomophobia

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At University of Southern California, students are being required to provide details of their sexual history. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

 

A person's sexual history is no one's business but his or her own. This is especially the case for sexual assault accusers, say victims' advocates. But at the University of Southern California, every student is being required to provide the school with the details of their sexual history.

 

Students are required to complete a mandatory online course before they are allowed to register for classes, according to a report from Campus Reform.

 

"This course is mandatory, and you must complete it by February 9, 2016," university officials told students in an email. "If you do not complete the training by this date you will receive a registration hold until the training is complete."

 

One student, Jacob Ellenhorn, sent Campus Reform a screenshot of the questionnaire portion of the course, which asked students intrusive questions such as "how many times have you had sex (including oral) in the last 3 months?" and "With how many different people have you had sex (including oral) in the last 3 months?"

 

Victims' advocacy groups constantly bemoan the questioning of an accuser's sexual history, so it is astonishing that a university would want this information from its students.

 

Ellenhorn said there is also a section that said drunk students cannot consent to sex. But in a video part of the course, two drunk students engage in sexual activity, but only the man is held responsible for obtaining consent.

 

"It kept on saying that drunk people cannot give consent," Ellenhorn said. "In one scenario both the man and the woman were drunk but the video still blames the male for the assault. I found that a little confusing."

So not only is the course intrusive, it's also sexist, suggesting that only men can rape and that they alone are responsible for obtaining consent.

 

Another confusing part of the course teaches students "how to ask for consent," and suggests only verbal signs can indicate a willingness to participate in sexual activity. Physical signs, however, such as "crossing arms" or a "lack of eye contact" are supposed to be watched for signs of unwillingness.

 

The questions students are supposed to ask in order to obtain consent prove everything I've been saying about new affirmative consent policies — they reduce sex to a question-and-answer session instead of a passionate act.

 

The questions include "Can I kiss you?" and "Could I hold your hand?" They also include awkward phrases that could potentially end in a sexual harassment accusation such as "How far would you be comfortable going?" and "Have you ever done…?"

 

The course also "teaches" students accused of sexual assault to just accept that they may be rapists, regardless of whether or not they are. The course offers "tips" on what to do if you're accused. The first tip suggests students "admit" to themselves that they "may have crossed a boundary" even if they don't remember the night or know they would never rape.

 

The second tip tells accused students to, "Recognize that the other person's feelings about the event are valid." This one in particular is absurd. Feelings are not facts, and no one should have his life ruined because someone else "feels" bad.

 

Source: Washington Examiner

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noon Legend

noon

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that's so messed up especially the invasion of privacy

 

also when will people learn that consent is different for everyone/relationship especially as relationships develop, sometimes even in the situation.

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Hosh Star

Hosh

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was the course "think about it"? because we had to do that at my school too, although it didn't prevent you from registering

 

when i read the title i immediately thought it was a disgusting invasion of privacy, but reading the article, it seems like it was spun in a misleading light. the sexual history questions are anonymous (and, iirc, you can opt out of answering them - i chose not to) and the ~sexist (lol) part about the man and the woman both being drunk but only the man being blamed was literally a case of rape. like, the woman was way more drunk than he was - slurring her words, barely coherent, nearly passing out, and repeatedly saying no - and he brought her back to his place and had sex with her while she was unconscious. if anyone finds that "confusing" and "sexist", i'm extremely concerned.

 

the way this article is spinning it, it sounds like you have to tell the college what sex acts you've done to be allowed to register, when in reality, you just have to finish an online course which includes some potentially invasive, but optional, anonymous questions. if you choose not to answer the questions, you just don't get a certain number of 'points' that are essentially useless for all things except being competitive enough to want to get full marks.

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Hosh Star

Hosh

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no, it's a course from CampusClarity

 

think about it is from campus clarity. i did a little googling and usc students do have to complete think about it, which is most likely the course they're talking about in the article (i recognize some of the visuals)

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internalizedhomophobia Superstar

internalizedhomophobia

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think about it is from campus clarity. i did a little googling and usc students do have to complete think about it, which is most likely the course they're talking about in the article (i recognize some of the visuals)

my bad, you are correct, here is an article by campus reform which includes screenshots (idk if this is the same one you found)

i think why some people disagree with this is because it is mandatory, the students can't opt out of it 

also, is there a "prefer not to say" option?

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Hosh Star

Hosh

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my bad, you are correct, here is an article by campus reform which includes screenshots (idk if this is the same one you found)

i think why some people disagree with this is because it is mandatory, the students can't opt out of it 

also, is there a "prefer not to say" option?

it looks familiar to me, i'm almost positive it's the same program. i don't necessarily agree with it, i just think that the article portrays it a bit inaccurately, and the bit about sexism seems super rape-apologist-like and that bothered me.

i just checked and it was mandatory for registration at my school too. i can still access the course, but i can't find the section asking for sexual history, so my school might have opted out of it? not sure. the questions look familiar but for some reason they aren't coming up for me

 

but i did get some screenshots from the "confusing rape scenario":

http://imgur.com/a/DG1Yu

can't believe anyone could think that this might not be rape tbh

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internalizedhomophobia Superstar

internalizedhomophobia

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it looks familiar to me, i'm almost positive it's the same program. i don't necessarily agree with it, i just think that the article portrays it a bit inaccurately, and the bit about sexism seems super rape-apologist-like and that bothered me.

i just checked and it was mandatory for registration at my school too. i can still access the course, but i can't find the section asking for sexual history, so my school might have opted out of it? not sure. the questions look familiar but for some reason they aren't coming up for me

 

but i did get some screenshots from the "confusing rape scenario":

http://imgur.com/a/DG1Yu

can't believe anyone could think that this might not be rape tbh

Ah yes! I remember seeing those graphics, I took the same one. It was mandatory for us too, if we didn't take it before a certain date, our classes would be withheld.

But the screenshots in the article I have no memory of.

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