April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Throughout this week, we have been focusing on the work research of Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan documented in their book, “Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study on Sex, Power and Sexual Assault” on campus.

In chapter five, “Consent,” Hirsch and Khan share that while students understand and can explain the need for affirmative consent, they can be unaware about consent in their own relations:

In the interviews, to minimize social desirability bias – the fact that research subjects often tell you what they know to be socially desirable, rather than what they actually do – we therefore deliberately asked students to describe a sexual experience in minute detail before asking any questions about consent. Surprisingly, almost no student brought up consent in their initial descriptions of a sexual encounter. Interview subjects were taken aback when they realized, upon being asked to recount their stories a second time, but this time to be explicit about how consent worked, that affirmative consent was not a defining characteristic of their sexual encounters. Some even realized they may not have gotten consent within past sexual interactions – interactions which, until the moment of the interview, they had thought of as consensual. (Kindle version – page 115)

Want to talk more about the research and the authors’ recommendations? Plan on attending an LLCC community discussion led by Dr. Karen Sisk today, April 13, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons and via Teams. Participants are encouraged to bring their lunches and a smart device to participate in an electronic conversation. Light snacks and water will be provided.

Additional information and resources on sexual assault are available on LLCC’s website. You may also contact Nikki Baker, compliance and prevention coordinator, at nikki.baker@llcc.edu or 217-786-3426.