THE BATTALION MAROON LIFE 4
Defining, communicating mutual consent
When engaging in sexual activities with others, always establish, maintain consent throughout each interaction By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel
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hen it comes to sexual activities, communication with your partner is of the utmost importance. Whether verbal or nonverbal, consent requires constant communication between all parties when engaging in any sexual encounter. “Yes” is not a one-size-fits-all pass to engage in every type of sexual activity; rather it is the start of a conversation regarding boundaries. The Tex-
as A&M System defines consent in Regulation 08.01.01, Civil Rights Compliance. Assistant Vice President and Title IX coordinator Jennifer Smith said the A&M Title IX office often helps students navigate through what consent means. “What [consent] really means is that you’ve checked in with your partner and you have clear permission to interact with their body,” Smith said. Brazos Valley Sexual Assault Resource Center, or SARC, education and outreach specialist Patricia Pitones said consent is a consistent acknowledgement of boundaries. “Consent is an ongoing process of discussing boundaries and what you’re comfortable with … your partner or [with] somebody that you may be intimate with,” Pitones said. “Typically, consent is an agreement between participants to engage in any type of sexual activity, and it should be clearly and freely
communicated. A verbal or an affirmative expression of consent can help both you [and] your partner to understand and respect each other’s boundaries.” Health Promotion coordinator Denise Crisafi, Ph.D., said it is important to dive further into what communication means when participating in sexual activities. “When we are engaging in an act that is supposed to be emotionally connective and physically connective, instead of something that people just do because it seems like it’s fun or age appropriate, we really have to get past that simplified definition to dig a little bit deeper into what communication means,” Crisafi said. Pitones said setting limits in relationships is important and should be discussed regularly. “Consent is basically boundaries — open communication and being able to provide that safe space and comfortability, [and] allowing
[your partner] to let [you] know what [they] need, what [they] want and setting those boundaries because those are pretty much the framework to everything,” Pitones said. Smith said there are various situations in which people cannot consent, including silence, intoxication and coercion. “Sometimes students interpret silence as consent, and that is not an agreement with someone else to engage in a sexual act,” Smith said. “You have to get a ‘yes.’ [That ‘yes’] can be verbal or nonverbal.” Crisafi said over half of all communication in any situation is nonverbal, so it is important to not only listen to what someone says, but also to pay attention to nonverbal cues and messages. “We should be looking at somebody’s body language, their facial expressions, if they are reciprocating or not, [if] they look emotionally distressed or [if] they look like they are
