Title IX Training

Understanding What Consent Is and Is Not

Welcome to Atlantic Cape Community College. Atlantic Cape is dedicated to creating a campus community that is safe and respectful. The purpose of this training program is to educate students how to prevent and report sexual misconduct.

When you complete the training you will be asked to answer some questions.

What exactly is Title IX and what you need to know?

• Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex can include sexual harassment, rape, and sexual assault. A college or university that receives federal funds may be held legally responsible when it knows about and ignores sexual harassment or assault in its programs or activities.
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. It covers women and men, girls and boys, and staff and students in any educational institution or program that receives federal funds. Local school districts, colleges and universities, for-profit schools, career and technical education agencies, libraries, and museums are all covered under Title IX.
• Know what constitutes sex discrimination, sexual assault and sexual harassment
  • Sex discrimination
    • Unfairly treating an individual or group of individuals differently than others on the basis of sex or gender.  Sexual misconduct is a form of sex- and gender-based discrimination.
• Sexual assault
  • Non-consensual sexual contact and non-consensual sexual intercourse.
  • Sexual violence may constitute any unwanted sexual touch or attention. Examples include but are not limited to; groping, sexual harassment, stalking, attempted rape or rape. Sexual violence is never the fault of the victim.
  • Sexual violence may happen between people who know one another, people who do not or even people who are dating or married. Survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence can be of any class, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion. Less severe forms of sexual violence, such as sexist jokes or name-calling, are often seen as benign. These behaviors condone and perpetuate more severe forms of sexual violence like rape
• Sexual harassment
  • Sexual harassment is unwelcome, sex- or gender-based verbal or physical conduct that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it interferes with, denies, or limits an individual’s ability to participate in or benefit from the university’s educational programs and activities.

What is Consent?

Consent and Sexual Assault

CONSENT

An action is “without that person’s consent” when it is inflicted upon a person who has not freely and actively given consent. ‘Consent’ is an understandable exchange of affirmative actions or words which indicate an active, knowing and voluntary agreement to engage in mutually agreed upon sexual activity. Consent is not freely given when it is in response to force or threat of force or when a person is incapacitated by the (voluntary or involuntary) use of drugs or alcohol or when the person is otherwise physically helpless and the person performing the act knows or should reasonably know that the other person is incapacitated or otherwise physically helpless. A person is not required to physically resist sexual conduct in order to show lack of consent. Past consent for sexual activity does not imply ongoing future consent.

• Consent is ongoing and continuous.
• Sexual activity without consent is sexual assault or rape.
• Consent must be willing. The decision to have any type of sexual behavior must be free of force. Both partners must be free to make their own decision and have the option of whether or not to be intimate. Force can be either physical or emotional. Examples of physical force include kidnapping, using weapons, holding someone down or taking advantage of someone when they are incapacitated due to drug or alcohol use. Examples of emotional force include threats, peer pressure, blackmail, guilt or coercion.
• An individual who is incapacitated is unable to give consent to sexual contact. States of incapacitation include sleep, unconsciousness, intermittent consciousness, or any other state where the individual is unaware that sexual contact is occurring. Incapacitation may also exist because of a mental or developmental disability that impairs the ability to consent to sexual contact.
• Consent can only happen when everyone participating is of legal age to consent to sexual activity.

WHAT IS CONSENT?

• An agreement made when both people want to engage in sexual activity
• When both people can freely express their needs and wants without fear of their partner’s reaction
• Mutual
• Voluntary
• Sober
• Talked about before any sexual activity
• Enthusiastic
• Fun

CONSENT IS NOT

• The absence of “no”
• Implied or assumed, even in a relationship
• Silence or not responding
• When someone says “yes” because they feel pressured or afraid of how their partner would respond to “no”
• “I’m not sure”
• “I don't know”
• “I’m scared”
• Consent for one act does not mean consent for all acts
• Consent given once before does not mean always and every time
• Being passed out or sleeping does not equal consent

(2 minutes will change the way you think about consent)

Atlantic Cape Title IX web page 

Dating and Domestic Violence

Dating/Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and control over a partner. Dating/Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure or wound someone. Including control of reproductive or sexual health.

Dating/Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, sexual orientation, social economics, education, age, religion, etc. Dating/Domestic violence can also affect family, friends, co-workers and members in the community, in addition to the victim and abuser. Domestic violence can occur regardless of the relationship status, including individuals who are dating, cohabitating, or married.

Informational Resources:

• Dating Violence and Abuse - Office of Women's Health
• 11 Facts About Domestic And Dating Violence - DoSomething.org

Stalking

Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his/her safety or the safety of others, or to suffer emotional distress. Stalking may include repeatedly following, harassing, threatening, or intimidating another.

Such as:

• phone calls
• text messages
• messages left on social networking sites
• notes left on their car
• flowers left at their home
• an awareness that they are being followed
• being continually stared at by another person.

Simply, this means that whatever intentional actions the stalker takes to put you in fear can be considered stalking when it occurs more than once and against your will.

It’s not over, stalking video

Alcohol

College is a time for fun, freedom, exploring new opportunities and making new friends. As college students adjust to their new “world” drinking has become a ritual that students often see as an integral part of their higher education experience. According to a national survey, almost 60 percent of college students ages 18-22 drank alcohol in the past month (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).

Did you know?

Approximately 700,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).

Approximately 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).

Don’t be a statistic! THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK

Resources

HOTLINES

Alcoholic Anonymous - (800) 245-1377

NJ Connect for Recovery - (855) 652-3737

Al-Anon - (800) 344-2666

DETOX & INPATIENT

Atlanticare (steps) program - (609) 441-8976

Integrity House - (973) 623-0600

Pinnacle Treatment Centers (800) 782-1520

Seabrook House - (800) 761-7575

Outpatient Detox

Atlanticare Mission Health - (609) 572-8333

Behavioral Crossroads - (855) 679-5138

Bystander Intervention

A bystander is someone who is present at an event or incident but does not take part. A bystander might be someone at a bar who sees a drunk person being taken advantage of, someone who notices a family member’s bruises, or someone who hears screaming coming from a neighbor’s home.

In situations of domestic violence or sexual assault, bystanders may think “it’s not my problem” or “it’s none of my business.” A bystander might rationalize their decision not to take action in a situation by telling themselves that they don’t have to act because someone else will. Some bystanders feel overwhelmed and unsure of what they can do to help.

However, anyone can become an active bystander. Here are some tips to help you to take an active role in safely preventing and interrupting sexual assault and domestic violence.

Don’t be a bystander video

Informational Resource

Title IX Quiz

Thank you, for completing this Title IX training.

Title IX Training Quiz