Sexual violence prevention training now mandatory for P.E.I. post-secondary students
CBC
Post-secondary students on Prince Edward Island will now need to complete mandatory courses on preventing sexual violence on campus.
"We wanted to give students at UPEI the skills to recognize and respond to sexual violence when they witness it or when they experience it and how to get help," Candice Perry, the Charlottetown school's sexual violence prevention and response manager, told Louise Martin of CBC News: Compass during a recent interview.
The course is mandatory for all first-year students, and will be a graduation requirement by the time this class makes its way through the university.
About 71 per cent of Canadian students surveyed have said they've experienced or witnessed unwanted sexualized behaviour both on and off campus, Perry said.
"It's pretty widespread — not only on post-secondary campuses, but within our society, unfortunately."
The course has five parts: on consent, consent at work, recognizing sexualized violence, interrupting harm, and responding to a disclosure of improper behaviour.
It also guides students through grounding techniques to use if the content is difficult or triggering, and gives information about where to go for help.
The online segments take about one to two hours and don't have to be completed all at once.
Perry hopes students come away from the course with a good understanding of how to help survivors, and knowing what "affirmative consent" means.
"Back when I was younger and going to university, the message was 'no means no,'" she said. "Affirmative consent means anything less than an enthusiastic 'yes' is a no."
Because students come to university with varied life experiences, the course sets uniform expectations of what is and isn't acceptable, she said.
Jenny Ferrara, a third-year student at the Atlantic Veterinary College, said the course "couldn't hurt" but wonders if it will actually change bad behaviour.
"Everyone is kind of aware of sexual violence. Everyone is aware it is not OK. Everyone knows the terms of consent. We are all taught them," Ferrara said. "For people to just get another reminder doesn't necessarily mean that they will change their actions."
But first-year student Regan McLean said it's never too late for students to learn.