el Don /SANTA ANA COLLEGE • MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014/eldonnews.org
VIEWS
STAFF EDITORIAL
OPINION
Keith Myers / Tribune News Service
MAKING SEX SAFER
In response to
campus sexual
violence, the
new state law
requires consent
to be explicit and
affirmative
Last month Gov. Jerry
Brown signed a law requiring
colleges and universities to
set guidelines and protocols
defining sexual consent.
Forcing accountability with
legislation is a small step
towards curbing the rise of
campus sex crimes encountered by one in four women
in the nation.
While going to college they
should be worried about essay deadlines and being late
to class, not whether they
will be raped or not.
Numerous universities
across the country have
failed to support female
students in the way they
respond to sexual assaults.
This law pressures administrators to better handle such
cases, but it only places a
bandage on the aftermath.
It’s a social issue, with
college hookup culture making the word rape an ambiguous one. The fact that more
than 80 percent of assaults
are committed by someone
the victim knows muddles
things. Many women go
along with something sexual
they weren’t really comfortable with and are left confused about what happened.
Now, there will be no more
assumptions. Unless they
say yes, it’s a no.
While it may not change
how students have sex,
this law will further protect
them in the event of an assault. We can go from victim
blaming and pushing it under
the rug to better ensure that
justice is served.
Christmas came early this year.
Really early.
On Oct. 15 a 96-foot, 10-ton
white fir was inserted at Town
Center Park across the street from
South Coast Plaza, kicking off the
holiday buzz while signaling the
start of retail’s busiest period.
While some say it is too soon
to start holiday preparations, it is
never too early to get that warm
winter season feeling that hugs
the heart.
The time leading up to
Christmas sparks excitement for
holiday food and spending time
with the family.
As Halloween and Thanksgiving
pass and the days get colder yet
cozier, Starbucks cups turn red,
and my sandal tan finally fades.
So the Christmas countdown is
already underway.
An almost hundred-foot
Christmas tree set up and decorated? Check. Mistletoe and a
special someone to kiss beneath
it? There’s still two months!
/ HAIDE HERNANDEZ
el Don /SANTA ANA COLLEGE • MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014/eldonnews.org
‘TIS THE SEASON
TO DECORATE
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