Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / March 9, 2000, edition 1 / Page 4
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4 March 9, 2000 Letters Crossroads volunteer defines unforcible and forcible rape In an earlier edition of The Pendulum, someone asked what unforcible rape is. I am writing to answer this question and to clear up any confusion. Many people think that rape cannot occur if the person accused does not have a weapon or some other means of physical re straint. This is not true. Rape occurs when one partner refuses or is un able to give consent. Forcible rapes with weapons do occur, but they are far less frequent then unforcible rapes. In an attempt to define rape, I will describe consent. Consent is often misunderstood to be only a verbal yes. Many people are un aware of the complexity of consent. There are six aspects of consent, all of which must be present before a person can be a mutual and equal participant in a sexual act. The first aspect of consent is that both potential partners must have total understanding of what is going to happen. Both people must reach agreement about the same acts. I one partner thinks sex means one thing and the other person defines sex differently, then consent cannot occur until the definition is discussed and agreed upon. The second aspect of consent is an understanding of the cultural beliefs surrounding the behavior. An example is an adult who has sex with a minor. Since our culture says a child cannot give consent for sex, the minor’s verbal yes would not mean consent. The third aspect is an aware ness of the consequences by both partners. Both participants in the proposed sexual activity must know all the possible consequences of engaging in the activity. In addi tion, both partners must be aware of the options and alternatives to the sexual act. The fourth aspect of consent is that both partners must know that their choice too not to partici pate will be respected just as much as the choice to participate. This means that both people know they have a right to not go along with the act or to stop at any time. If the person feels he or she can not ob ject or change his or her mind be cause his/her partner will object or put up a fight, then the person can not give consent. The fifth aspect is that the agreement to participate must be voluntary. If one person agrees because he or she feels pressured, it is not consent. The final aspect of consent is mental competence. Agreement to be sexually active with some one can only occur if both partners are on the same mental level. If one person is drunk or high, he/she can not agree to be sexually active with a person who is not drunk or high. Unforcible rape occurs when any one of the six aspects of consent is missing. When one partner is pressured to perform a sexual act by his or her partner, it is rape. When a person is under the influence of a drug, including alcohol, and has sex with some one else, it is rape. Even if the person under the influence verbally agrees, the person does not consent and it is rape. The only difference between forcible and unforcible rape is the presence of physical force or a weapon. I am a volunteer with Cross roads, the sexual assault resource center of Alamance and the sur rounding counties. We strive to meet the needs of those people who have been affected in any way by sexual assault. We also provide education and information for the community. If you have any questions or concerns you can call our 24-hour- line. This line can be accessed re gardless of the nature of the ques tion. Ifit is an emergency, there are crisis intervention workers that can respond and help out. If you have a question about rape or sexual as sault, the responder can answer your questions anytime, day or night. The number is 228-0360. Sincerely, H Erin Way What SGA does for you To the Editor: The SGA’s business is often controversial, leaving the organiza tion open to criticism; however, it is an organization that must tackle the toughest issues on campus. The process of solving these issues is often times arduous and lengthy, but these processes do yield suc cessful outcomes. I would love to pose the ques tion: “would you be in favor of an SGA where all the Senators agreed all the time?” The fact is that this is not the case; SGA is comprised of hard-working Senators, each one trying to represent their constitu ents in the best manner possible. The question often asked is, “what does the SGA do for me?” I could easily run-off a long list of accomplishments, such as the Stu dent Loan Program, which helps almost 200 Elon Students with a interest-free loan, an improved SGA website that allows students direct access to address SGA (www.elon.edu/sga\ and the easily accessible reorganized SGA records to enable students to check SGA business. The SGA has carried out a successful survey campaign over Winter Term to find popular stu dent opinions on a broad range oi issues on campus. This informa tion has been passed on to the Col lege Administration. This is just s sample of what we do at SGA, bui soon you will hear more. I am pleased to further an nounce that the SGA is going tc fully answer the question of “whai does the SGA do for me” on March SO*** at the Senate meeting where the SGA will present to Elon College The SGA Year-EndReport, that will list the accomplishments of the pas year. Hopefully, a summary wil be published in The Pendulum. This is the first time in over 30 years thal SGA is going to compile this docu ment and I am confident that the SGA will present a lot to the Stu dent Body. We are eager to sho\\ you our accomplishments at the enc of this month. We do not seek thanks from the Student Body be cause our reward comes from serv ing you. Sincerely, Executive Vice President Michiel Wackers Ext. 2540 Campus Box 3654 Got something on your mind? Write a Letter to the Editor! Mail letters to 7012 Campus Box or drop them off at The Pendulum office (Moseley Center 233) by noon Monday. You must include your name and phone number. New library appealing but leaves students lacking resources The new library is one heck of a pretty place. When I walked in I thought to myself, “Wow, Elon really came through this time!” However, over the past few weeks I realized that for all the fluffy chairs and the brand new computers, the library still lacked one important thing. Resources. The ground floor is sure im pressive with all the “technology” and resource rooms for this and that. When people walk in they are very impressed just like I was. Unfertunately, the new library is more likely to provide a student with a place to take a nap on a comfortable chair than_ to provide him or her with an important book or journal they need for a researcli paper. Certainly, the librarians and the staff are still great. Everyone is very helpful and they are willing to anything they can to assist you in a quest for that mystery book that might be available through NC- PALS. However, the fact remains that the library doesn’t have what students needed the most. For all the money the school spent, you would think that they would have considered building a library that lives up to the schools billing as one of the best for it’s size and price. However, the school figured, once again, that as long as it looks nice people wilLlike it. Certainly, 1 tinderstand that more books are on the way, but the fundamental design of the new li brary was to aim more at technol ogy as opposed to good old bound knowledge. Unfortunately, I think that having actual books and journals is more important than having com puters with access toNC-PALS. Computers weren’t designed to re place books, and that is why I can’t understand why Elon made the new library the way they did. I can understand why stu dents might be satisfied with the new library. After all, it is a hell of a lot more comfortable and prettier than the old library, but it really isn’t all that much better. A lot of students'probably haven’t seen the libraries at other schools that are similar to Elon. Trust me, they are a lot better and they look nice to. In addition, it is a shame that the library couldn’t have been built to accommodate more resources because I think that the faculty is good here and a new library would have made them even better. A few of my instructors have voiced their disappointment in class and are quite unsatisfied with the new facility. Indeed, this is part of the rea son that I wrote this letter. Basically, this school hasn’t changed a bit since I was freshman. The altitude is that, “the better it looks, the better it sells”. 1 think that the only way Elon can really change for the better is if people start worrying about what is behind the walls instead of how they look. I encourage everybody at the school to demand more for your money. After all, donations didn’t pay for everything; the library got built with your money to. Sincerely, David Ford Bubba@aol.com $99
Elon University Student Newspaper
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March 9, 2000, edition 1
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