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The federal Department of Education has released a list of schools that may have violated federal laws in their handling of sexual assault cases and harassment. The University of California at Berkeley and the University of Southern California are among the schools under federal investigation.
Seeking to reverse that trend, the California Legislature has now passed a bill that requires publicly funded universities and colleges in California to adopt a “yes means yes” policy.
So what does that mean?
It means that if a student doesn’t say “yes”, it’s not consent – and sexual activity can be prosecuted as rape.
It’s not consent if a student is silent, or doesn’t resist. It’s not consent if one party is drunk, on drugs, or passed out.
State-funded colleges and universities that fail to adopt strict policies on sexual assault will not be able to receive financial aid money, if the measure is approved by Governor Brown.
The bill passed the Legislature unanimously, with no opposition from any college or university. Governor Jerry Brown has until September 30th to sign the bill.
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