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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1997)
Director addresses questions about policy changes ■ CONSENT: The Women’s Center has been dealing with confusion about changes to the conduct code By Angie Suchy Student Activities Editor The proposed changes in the University student conduct code have generated a steady influx of questions this school year, so Women’s Center Director Sho Shigeoka addresses some com mon misconceptions and ques tions about the proposed policy changes. QWhat are some common ques tions and/or concerns the Women’s Center staff has been asked about the policy over the past few months? A| One striking (rather than com i mon) question asked was when a T female called the center asking for an actual copy of a consent form, a form like the Emerald suggested [in an edito rial]. She was concerned because she was going out on a date and thought something might happen, so she want ed to get ahold of a consent form. Peo ple are still believing that this “explicit consent” has to be a definite “yes” in writing or an agreement that is very ex plicit, but the [proposed] language is not limited to written consent or verbal consent. QDo you think it would be a good idea to have a form like that? A I don’t want to trash the idea alto 1 gether because if that works for certain people, it’s okay — I know peo ple communicate differently, and when we talk about communication we’re talking about so many different things, including verbal, body language, sign language and different cultural innuen do that has to be taken into considera tion. I don’t think it's right for anyone to say one way of communication should be the way. For example, to have a con sent form could be a way for people to talk about sex. We all have different communication styles, so communica tion should be up to us. QAs the Director of the Women’s Center, have you encountered any other misconceptions people have? A The biggest question is about con sent. The second biggest is about the definition of rape because the pro posed definition is a lot different than the state of Oregon’s definition of rape. The state statutes address sexual inter course, and that’s all. Nothing is written about penetration or other specifics. For example, for rape in the first degree, physical resistance has to be proven, but nothing similar to that is currently in the student conduct code. A lot of peo ple are wondering — including the ACLU — what to do if someone is found guilty of rape according to the [revised] student conduct code but not under the Oregon statute(s). This is an issue that definitely needs to be looked into even further, although I like the pro posed definition of rape because it's more inclusive. But the Register-Guard and The Oregonian have generally been writing nasty and uninformed articles saying that it’s a bunch of administra tors who are trying to implement this rule so that we could control students, but the fact is, it wasn't the University who began working on the proposed changes, it was students. So that is an other main misconception people have — after all, students first did the re search and came up with the first draft of the proposed language. I find it sad to know how people are undermining students and their power. Students came up with the idea, so I think students should go for it and see it through. fifi Students came up with the idea, so I think students should go for it and see it through. — Sho Shigeoka Women's Center Director -55 QSo you think media coverage is inaccurate overall thus tar? Ai Outside of campus, I think more .: rumors than factual information circulates. On the opinion pages, people really don't take the time to get all the facts straight. Myths about sexual as sault and rape appear in these "factual” places. True rape education is ignored as the “hot” topic of “consent” is thrown around. im RIM Fitness Program has a format to provide better service. We have developed a PUNCH CARD system! This will allow you more flexibility in planning your fitness workouts. It also allows greater variety. A 10 punch card is available for $11.00; 20 punch card for $19.00; 30 punch card for $24.00 or an UNLIMITED CARD for only $20.00. REGISTRATION -102 Esslinger Registration begins Monday, Jan. 6th, & a.m. - 5 p.m. CLASSES RUN FROM Jan. 13th to March 6th, 1997. For more information call 6-4113 or drop by 102 Esslinger. UO Faculty & Staff Did You Know... By participating in the pre-tax retirement savings plan, (403b), you can make 15-37% on your contributions through tax savings. Carter^fCarter financial "Your Financial Partners" Committed to the University Community 541/683-2900 Email: invest@carterandcarter.com Access our Schedule of Seminars: http://www.rjf.com/sems.htm Call today to reserve your seat ary 8 at the University of 1-800-KAP-TEST Bring a friend and Win a prize http://www.efii.org/~sing/cttb email: sing@efii.org AMERICAN PIE NETWORKS, I INId.
