Call to make sexual violence course mandatory

Everyone at Okanagan College should be required to take an online course aimed at reducing sexual violence, the students union says.

An online training program called ‘Not Anymore’ is offered on the college website.

“But uptake has been slow,” the students’ union writes in a submission to be considered today by the college’s board of governors.

“We realize that sexual violence and consent are complicated topics, and not easy to engage in, but are vital conversations for post-secondary campuses to engage in,” the brief says.

“We are asking this board to make it mandatory for all OC staff, faculty, and students to complete the ‘Not Anymore’ online course,” the brief says.

In the college video that outlines the online course, students say campus rape is not rare, with one in five college women face sexual assault, and 4% of men face unwanted sexual advances.

A series of young men and women outline the scope of the problem and ask those who enrol in the online course to take it seriously.

“Please don’t treat this like some dumb video that you need to get through,” one person says.