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Preventing Student Sexual Violence:

Strategies for Transforming Campus Culture
Melanie Boyd, Yale University
 Outline for This Session

 Background research: dynamics of

campus sexual violence, plus effective
strategies for creating change
 Case study: reworking freshman
orientation
 Beyond training: using peer educators to
transform campus culture

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 2

 Section 1

 Dynamics of campus sexual violence

 Effective strategies for creating change

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 3

 Understanding Sexual Violence
as Part of Sexual Culture

“Scaffolding” and “scripts”

 Normative beliefs and practices that make sexual
violence possible
 Operating at the cultural level and also within
individual incidents

Basic claim: we cannot end sexual violence

without addressing consensual sexual culture

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 4

 Example: Campus Rape

 Typical pattern:
 Students involved know each other
 Occurs in the context of sexualized settings
 Usually begins as a consensual sexual
encounter

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 5

 Norms Set the Terms &
Enable Manipulation

 “Hookup culture”
 Encounters idealized as carefree
 Intoxication used to signal of casual interest
 Pressure normalized, especially from men
 Patterns of wanted but unsatisfying sex, as well
as unwanted consensual sex
 Broader neoliberal ideology
 Emphasis on individual agency
 Little recognition of structural power dynamics
Preventing Student Sexual Violence 6
 Commonplace Within
Public Health

 Almost impossible to change behavior by

educating about problems and risks
 Must pivot towards solutions
 For us:
 “How do we stop sexual violence?” 
 “What can we do to create a sexual and
romantic campus culture in which students
can thrive?”

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 7

 Immediate Benefits

 Evades many double-binds

 Invites broader, more energized coalition
 Addresses systemic issues as well as
episodes of violence – and thus increases
overall student wellness

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 8

 Questions?

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 9

 Section 2

 Case Study: Reworking Freshman

Orientation

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 10

 Traditional Strategies

 Awareness: statistics, alcohol, trauma

 Tips: stay sober, don’t get separated from your
friends, be alert, don’t walk alone, avoid risky
situations
 University sexual misconduct definitions
 Consent training: students debate ambiguous
cases, students practice how to “give, get,
gauge” consent, “no means no”
 Reporting and support options
Preventing Student Sexual Violence 11
 Problematic Elements in
Those Approaches

 Relying on fear tactics

 Widely shown to be ineffectual
 In this realm: increased fear is itself a problem

 Presenting “consent” as a difficult, confusing

practice
 Plays into myth of miscommunication
 Makes it easier for sexual aggressors to manipulate
victims
 Focuses energies and attention on low bar (not raping)

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 12

 Problematic Elements,
continued

 Eliciting and even reinforcing victim-

blaming, perpetrator-excusing

 Invoking traditional gender norms

 Erases experiences of LGBTQ students, as well
as other male victims and female aggressors
 Upholds the scripts through which sexual
violence operates

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 13

 Reimagined Freshman
Orientation: Core Goal

To establish positive community norms and

empower high expectations, such that it will
be more difficult for sexual aggressors to
act, and easier for potential victims to react

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 14

 Freshman Orientation:
Strategies

 Take on the myth of miscommunication –

build student confidence in their ability to
understand sexual situations
 Build community consensus around very
high standards
 Expectation: no sexual or romantic pressure
 Definitions of sexual misconduct taught – but
explicitly cast as a very low bar

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 15

 Strategies, continued

 Inform students of resources for support,

action:
 Emphasis: you should expect respect and
mutuality; if you encounter anything else, we
want to know; nothing is too big or too small;
we are always here for you
 24/7 contact information shared multiple times

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 16

 Myth of Miscommunication
Workshop

 Small, interactive groups, facilitated by peer

educators
 Freshmen participate in their own live
communications experiment: non-sexual
invitation
 Establish their ability to easily distinguish between
enthusiasm and refusal – and to identify ambiguity
when it arises
 Identify patterns of refusal and agreement, and
common manipulative tactics

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 17

 Myth of Miscommunication
Workshop, continued

 Shift to discussion of sexual and romantic

situations
 Affirm that communication skills are the same in sexual
situations
 Address complexities introduced by intoxication
 Build consensus about the “ickiness” of sexual pressure
 End by exploring ideals:
 Building a community free from pressure, where people
respect one another, make mindful choices, and hold
out for mutual enthusiasm

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 18

 Questions?

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 19

 Section 3

 Beyond training—using peer educators to transform

campus culture THE CCEs OF SILLIMAN, 2 0 1 2 -2 0 1 3
WILL KRONICK ’1 4
w illia m .k r on ick @y a le.edu
Will is a Sillim an ju n io r m ajo r in g in His t o r y, fo cu s in g o n t h e
ch a n gin g d efin it io n o f Am er ica n cit iz en s h ip .! At Yale, h e is a
co m m u n it y o r gan iz er wit h New Haven Act io n a n d t u t o r s at Man s o n
Pr iso n . As a CCE, Will is excit ed t o h ave m ea n in gfu l d is cu s s ion s
a b ou t s ex an d s exu alit y. !

PAUL WASSERMAN ’1 4
p au l.w asserm a n @y ale.edu
Pau l is a ju n io r in Sillim a n m ajo r in g in His t o r y, wit h an
in t er es t in Ru s s ia n a n d Ea s t Eu r o p ea n St u d ies . Ou t s id e o f t h e
clas s r o o m , Pa u l is a go alk eep er fo r t h e Clu b 1 So ccer Team , a
s p o r t s b r o a d ca st er fo r Yale All-Acces s , an d a b r o t h er o f
Sigm a Ph i Ep silo n . Pau l is a ls o a m em b er of Co m m u n it y
Healt h Ed u cat o r s , wh er e h e t each es sex ed u ca t io n t o New
Haven h igh sch o o ler s . He is excit ed t o en gage in d is cu s s io n s
a b o u t a h ea lt h y sexu a l clim at e o n ca m p u s .!

BETH LABOSSIERE’1 4
eliz a beth .la bossiere@y a le.ed u
Bet h is a ju n io r in Sillim a n m ajor in g in Eco n o m ics . Sh e's on e o f t h e
co -co o r d in at o r s o f Co m m u n it y Hea lt h Ed u ca t o r s an d ! p r o d u ces vid eo
s t r eam s o f va r s it y s p o r t s co m p et it ion s fo r Ya le All Acces s . In h er
s p a r e t im e, s h e en jo ys r u n n in g, d an cin g, a n d r ep r es en t in g Sillim an in
IMs . Bet h is r ea lly excit ed t o exp an d h er in vo lvem en t in h ea lt h
ed u ca t io n t h is year b y t alk in g a b o u t co m m u n ica t ion an d con s en t o n
cam p u s . !

KIKI O CHIENG ’1 5
a k in y i.och ien g@y ale.ed u
Kiki is a Sillim a n s o p h o m or e m a jo r in g in Po lit ical Scie n ce an d
Afr ica n St u d ies . Sh e s erves on th e bo ar d s of th e Black St u d en t
Allia n ce a t Yale a n d t h e Ya le Un d er gr ad u a t e As s o cia t ion for
Afr ica n Pea ce an d De velo p m en t. Sh e is a ls o a m em b er o f Pi
Bet a Ph i, th e Yale Afr ica n Stu d en t s As s o cia t io n an d wr it es fo r
p u b lica tio n s o n a n d o ff ca m p u s ab ou t eve ryt h in g fr o m
p olit ics to fa s h io n a n d a r t. As a CCE, s h e h o p es t o fos t er
p os itive d is cu s s ion s a bo u t s exu a lity an d res p e ct fo r o t h e rs .

WHO ARE THE CCES?

We’re u n d ergra d s wo rkin g t o fos t er a p os it ive ca m p u s clim a t e,
es p ecia lly in t e rm s o f s exu al cu lt u re.
In t er ested ? Id e a s? Qu estion s?
Co n t act u s a t th e em ails a b o v e , o r at cce @y a le.ed u
N e ed h elp rig h t n ow ?!
SHARE’s p r ofe s s io n a l cou n s elo r s ar e a v a ila b le 2 4 / 7 t o
o ffer in fo r m a t io n , ad v o ca cy , a n d s u p p o r t : 2 0 3 .4 3 2 .2 0 0 0 .!
All ca lls a r e co m p le t e ly co n fid en t ial.

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 20

 Communication and Consent
Educators (CCE) Program

 48 student educators – paid, well-trained,

closely supervised
 Drawn from all corners of campus life
 Three main tasks
 Large-scale campus trainings
 Resource liaisons for students in need
 Community and environmental interventions
 yale.edu/cce
Preventing Student Sexual Violence 21
 CCE Intervention
Methodology

 With newly sharp eyes, students look for patterns,

practices, and dynamics
 What disturbs them? What inspires them?
 Focus primarily on groups/communities, not individual
behavior
 Asking themselves and each other:
 What would be the ideals for this situation?
 How do we get there? What can we change to make
those ideals more likely?
 Always looking for collaboration—who can help?
Preventing Student Sexual Violence 22
 CCE Intervention Methodology,
continued

 Many interventions informal, behind-the-

scenes
 Rarely conceived of or experienced as
“rape prevention”
 Often, no active participation required
 When there is, it’s usually entertaining
 Focus is on shifting cultural norms

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 23

 Examples

 Dance Architecture
 Sorority Panel
 Team Brunch
 Blind Date App
 LGBTQ Spaces
 Gossip Blog

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 24

 New Norms to Cultivate

 Encouraging mindfulness
 Building respect and recognition
 Valuing both desires and limits
 Proliferating options
 Strengthening community

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 25

 Pitfalls to Avoid

 Gender normativity or heterosexism

 Other “isms”—what is reinforced or
challenged along the way?
 Inadvertently reinforcing problematic
norms
 Scare tactics or divisive language
 Fueling victim-blame

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 26

 Questions?

Preventing Student Sexual Violence 27