Best Practices in Consent Education: An Analysis

The need for sexual assault prevention work on college campuses is largely accepted; however, higher education and student affairs professionals continue to debate the best way to do this work. In this analysis, I explore sex-neutral, sex-positive, and punitive foci for sexual assault prevention and consent education. After analyzing the effectiveness of each of these foci, I suggest that sexual assault prevention and consent education on college campuses cannot be limited to only reactive strategies. I provide examples of tactics that different functional areas can utilize as well as examples from my own work in student affairs. Expanding the focus of sexual assault prevention and consent education will require student affairs professionals across functional areas to take on more responsibility for this important work. I conclude by advocating for the creation of a specific personnel position to oversee sexual assault prevention and consent on campus