"Oftentimes, sexual violence education frames consent in negative terms, like no means no' or don't rape,'" Christine Averill '13, the communication outreach director for the event said. "Consent Day is about being sex-positive, understanding what consent means and communicating that message clearly. We want people to know how important it is to show sensitivity and respect to others' rights and interests."
The participation of various Greek organizations, health programs, student groups and faculty-run committees helped promote the successful turnout of the event. The organizers' goal was to reach out to as many people as possible, according to Averill.
"The reason we're doing it is to create more of a yes' and communicative feeling about sex," Averill said. "In order to do that, we need involvement from all of the on-campus and off-campus programs that students have access to, so that the message can really get out and stick with them."
Organizations involved with the event set up booths for students to visit and learn about sexual consent. Students could go to each table and get signatures on a passport, which they could later exchange for a "Consensual Sex is Hot" t-shirt.
"Every table brings about the principle of community," Bryant Ford, director of health promotion, said. "It's about standing together as a community, and it's a message that people can really take to heart."
In order to make the message easily accessible to students, each booth provided information through interactive games that included prizes for winners.
"People have been having a lot of fun," Averill said. "We're trying to reach out to people who don't always come to these types of events in a fun, positive way by educating them at the various booths."
Many of the booths used games that were openly sexual to educate students about the meaning of consent. Members of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity presented students with hypothetical scenarios in which they had to decide whether to stop, pause or continue based on whether or not they believed they would have consent.
"We want to educate people and spread awareness," Joe Balistreri '13 said. "Our emphasis is on the positive aspect of sex and de-mystifying it so that people can feel comfortable."
The event, originally scheduled to take place on Massachusetts Row, was moved indoors due to rain. Nevertheless, students said they enjoyed Consent Day.
"I thought the booths were a fun way to spread the idea about consensual sex without being too in-your-face," Sam Seehof '13 said. "It's an issue that people usually avoid talking about, so it's good to see people putting it right out on the table and actually doing something about it."
The event was run by the Dartmouth Sexual Abuse Awareness Program and Dick's House.
Sam Seehof is a member of The Dartmouth Business Staff.
