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Duke One Team Collaboration: Preventing Sexual Misconduct on Campus

Two speech bubbles say One Team. The speak bubbles are green, blue, and white. The caption reads "members of the team are committed to learning, intervening, and supporting other team members to create an environment of sexual respect at Duke.

 

This week, Team Kenan collaborated with the Bass Connections One Team to speak with members of the Duke community about sexual misconduct.

We began by asking how students define consent. The responders voiced that consent must be constant, clear, un-intoxicated and rescindable. One girl viewed it as a process that should be “shared instead of given and taken.”

We also asked what factors could lead to sexual misconduct. Students highlighted that dark crowded situations with many intoxicated people are environments where sexual assault most often takes place. Other factors mentioned were, “lack of communication, lack of education, ignorance on the topic, any type of substance [use].”

One girl posed the question: How do you think we can approach changing sexual misconduct from a matter of jokes to reality? This prompted a discussion about the True Blue course that all Duke Freshmen take before arriving on campus. A common perspective was that it was helpful in identifying concerning situations and how to support friends. However, one way it could improve would be giving more realistic and less extreme examples. One student felt Duke should explore further ways to educate and engage the Duke community on this topic.

Here are the resources available at Duke if you would like to talk to someone about Sexual Misconduct:

CAPS

The Women’s Center

Duke Reach

Ombudsperson