UH Manoa Joins Colleges and Universities Across the Country in "Got Consent?" Campaign

Campaign encourages healthy decision-making regarding sexual activity for students

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Dr. Beverly McCreary, (808) 956-9499
Gender Equity Counselor
Christine Quemuel, (808) 956-8059
Women's Center Director
Posted: May 15, 2003

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recently launched the "Got Consent?" Campaign, a nationwide project to encourage healthy decision-making regarding sexual activity for all students. At UH Mānoa, the Gender Equity Office and Women‘s Center, with assistance from Student Housing Services, is coordinating the campus‘ participation in the campaign.

The campaign is a passive programming tool that uses real students on posters promoting consensual sex with the hope of increasing positive communication among couples, dispelling myths about consent, and decreasing the possibility of date/acquaintance rape. The posters for "Got Consent?" reflect the diverse population of students on campus and appear in residence halls and classroom buildings at UH Mānoa.

All of the student-models represent different ethnic backgrounds and are seen posed as a single heterosexual or homosexual, as a mixed-race couple, or as a same-gender couple. Every poster has a personalized quote from the student-model(s) regarding consensual sex. The Gender Equity Office will continue to recruit student leaders across campus disciplines to represent different majors and athletic teams for an effective, comprehensive campaign for consensual sex.

Statistics show that approximately 84 percent of victims of campus rapes know their attacker and 57 percent of those rapes occur on dates. According to The BACCHUS & GAMMA Peer Education Network, Healing the Harm: Sexual Assault on Campus, some of these sex assaults are calculated and premeditated, while others occur due to miscommunication, complete lack of communication, and belief in myths regarding sexual activity.

For more information about the campaign, contact the Gender Equity Office at (808) 956-9977 or the Women‘s Center at (808) 956-8059.

For more information, visit: http://www.umass.edu/ewc/ea/consent.html