March 2019
Should the SU prioritise securing Consent education for all incoming students?
Back
Proposed by: Katie Tesseyman
Seconded by: Liza Tait-Bailey
What is the issue?
In a survey carried out by the LSESU in 2018, 45% of respondents said that they thought consent training would be more effective delivered face-to-face. In the same survey, 83% of respondents said that they wanted the consent campaign to carry on in the next academic year. Andrew Young has agreed to make consent training an integral part of welcome week 2019, in partnership with the student’s union.
This is a step in the right direction, this would help us have a shared understanding of consent, and campus would thus be a safer place for everyone. There is, however, room for improvement and this should be a stepping stone to the implementation of small group workshops for all incoming students. Without sustained student activism, there is a very real possibility that this success will not be built upon and progress will be lost.
What is the solution?
LSE Students’ Union has been at the forefront of this campaign and ensuring future officers continue this work is vital for making sure students have access to consent education.
Continuing to put pressure on LSE and make sure student voices are heard beyond the term of a single SU officer team is the only way to make sure this issue does not disappear from the school’s attention.
LSESU should continue to make the Consent campaign a priority, to work with LSE on improving Consent education and hold them accountable for the promises they have already made following the success of the Consent Now campaign.