Campusnews udents unclear on sexual consent College surprised at how many are unsure of the parameters = By CLOE LOGAN angara’s student conduct and judicial affairs depart- ment found that students are struggling with defining sexual consent. Last Monday, the department quizzed students on defining sexual consent on campus. Jennifer Ched- die, a student conduct officer, said she was surprised at how many students answered questions incor- rectly. “One of the questions was, ‘Is someone who is intoxicated able to give consent?” Cheddie said. “An- other one was ‘Can consent can be assumed from previous consent?” Cheddie said students answered these questions as true when the correct answers are false. “Clearly there needs to be some education," Cheddie said. On March 16, the Women’s Le- gal Education and Action Fund will be hosting Only Yes Means Yes on campus, a free workshop for students explaining legal and ethi- cal definitions of sexual assault and consent. Alana Prochuk, a manager at the Women’s Legal Education and Ac- tion Fund, said some students are confused about what sexual consent means because they lack positive role models and don't know how to approach the topic. “I think people feel discomfort about having those types of conver- sations, so it’s really great to prac- tice the language for checking-in about consent,” Prochuk said. According to Statistics Canada, people aged 15-24 are more likely to be victims of sexual violence. “It’s an environment where people are navigating relationships, sexual- ity and these types of conversations. It’s so important to engage students in conversations about how to build a campus culture where culture vio- lence and consent are really chal- lenged,” Prochuck said. Phoebe Turner, a general arts student at Langara, said there are a number of problems at the root of why students are struggling with defining sexual consent. “Historically, we've painted a portrait of all sexual predators as bad guys hanging out in bushes, waiting to jump out and attack,” she said. “What I think people need to realize is that sexual violence is far more insidious and pervasive than that. It can be your friend, your romantic partner, a respected com- munity leader.” ONLY YES MEANS YES WHAT STUDENTS CAN LEARN 1. How does the Criminal Code define sexual assault? ot 2. How drunk is too drunk to give consent under the law? 3. What are survivors’ rights and options when reporting sexual assault to the police? SOURCE: WESTCOASTLEAF ORG Kathryn Iseminger, a Langara general arts student with misophonia. PHoTo EDITORLISA TANH | \ BY LISA STEACY THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018 | THE VOICE 3 Student says misophonia, a sensitivity to sound, is very real’ m By LISA STEACY eople with a condition that isn’t recognized as a disability but can impair learning say the first step to helping them is raising aware- ness. Colleges have a legal duty to accommodate students with di- agnosed physical and learning disabilities, like hearing loss or dyslexia. However, little known conditions such as misophonia, an intense aversion to specific sounds, and scent sensitivity, do not fall un- der disabilities that are recognized by the college. At Langara, disability services offers accommodations to students ranging from sign language inter- preters to extra time for exams. In an email to The Voice, manager Su- zanne Munson, encouraged any- body with a functional impairment to learning of any kind to meet with disability services. Possible accom- modations are determined on a case-by-case basis. “A disability services consultant will meet with the stu- dent, review medical “T felt like my brain was being she is unable to concentrate on anything else and is gripped by an intense need to escape or make the sound stop. Iseminger hasn't been diagnosed by a doctor. She first experienced . symptoms eight years ago, when she was 11. Com- mon trigger sounds documen- ” include chewing, tation —_re- attacked. ee heavy breathing and quirements swallowing. and explore possible aca- demic ac- commodations,” Munson said. Kathryn Iseminger, a Langara general arts student with miso- phonia, met with disability services earlier this year and said she didn't think they understood her condi- tion. When she hears a trigger sound, STUDENT — KATHRYN ISEMINGER, LANGARA "I felt like my brain was being at- tacked when [my chewing at dinner," family] were she said. To raise awareness, she initiated the March 13 campus screening of Quiet Please, a documentary about misophonia, directed by Jeffrey Gould, who also suffers from this condition. “When you don’t live with miso- phonia, it sounds absurd and manu- factured, but it’s very real and it al- ters every aspect of a sufferer’s life,” Gould said. Unlike scent sensitivity, Isem- inger said misophonia is uniquely challenging for colleges to accom- modate. "It's very easy to just not wear your perfume, while eating is some- thing everyone sort of has to do," she said. Gould said considering how a college can accommodate students with rare disorders requires aware- ness. “If they are aware that these af- flictions exist, it could break down barriers and misnomers and start a conversation that could lead to a solution — without negatively im- pacting the general population.” he Emergency phone hotline off Out of order for two weeks: repair date is uncertain = By NIKITHA MARTINS A Langara emergency phone has been out of order for two weeks with no update on when it will be fixed. Located by the lower level park- ing lot, a code blue tower, has been out of order for unknown reasons. Code blue towers are emergency phones that have call buttons, cam- eras and the ability to broadcast public announcements in the case of an emergency. Dwayne Doornbosh, the direc- tor of facilities at Langara, said IT is still working on identifying the problem and doesn't know when service will be restored. “In situations where a [code blue tower] emergency phone isn’t working, the security team moni- tors the area more frequently until the unit is up and running again,” Doornbosh said. Doornbosh said security usually receives three to five tower emer- gency calls a year, but sometimes the calls are from people who do not understand their intended use and have non-emergency ques- tions. David Aucoin, the manager of safety, security and emergency management at Langara, said emergency phones are one of sev- eral ways for students to get help on campus, such as their safe walk service. “Our safe walk service is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long,” Aucoin said. “Security can escort you to another building, your vehicle or a bus stop.” Post-secondary institutions such as KPU and UBC also have emer- gency phones and other ways for students to get help on campus. At KPU, students can use the univer- sity’s safe mobile app to contact se- curity and emergency services, ar- range an escorted walk on campus and more. At UBC, students can request help from police officers ine OUT OF ORDER MAINTENANCE IN PROGRESS FOR ASSISTANCE PLEASE CALL Langara Security 604-562-1011 Thank you for your patience, MARTINS that are stationed on campus. Megan Davies, a design forma- tion student at Langara, said de- spite the code blue tower being out of order, she does not feel endan- gered on campus. ( An out of order code blue tower by the lower level parking lot. PHoTo By NiIKITHA “To be honest, I didn't know they [emergency assistance towers] were there, but in an emergency situa- tion, it would be nice to know that they were all up and working.” Da- vies said.