Students have mixed views on sexual assault tutorial at University of Montana

Article here. Excerpt:

'Known as Personal Empowerment Through Self Awareness training, or PETSA, the new tutorial includes seven video segments followed by a quiz, along with a list of emergency contacts. Every student, regardless of age or academic year, is required to watch the video and pass the quiz.

“It didn’t teach me anything,” said Blake DeShaw, a junior majoring in international business. “I support the help system they’ve created, and I think that’s great. But the mandatory tutorial is overkill.”

DeShaw believes the tutorial focuses on the obvious – don’t drink alone, make smart decisions, don’t hang out with jerks who are aggressive toward women and don’t rape.

His sentiments were similar to some of his peers, who struggled to define drunken consent, or an absence of consent, as rape. Many students believe the video fails to hold individuals accountable for their decisions, regardless of gender.

In a letter to the Montana Kaimin, the school newspaper, UM student Anthony Trujillo said the university is correct in taking steps to create a safer campus. On the other hand, he wrote, forcing the “rape scare” on all students makes the problem worse.'

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PETAS videos: http://www.umt.edu/petsa/videos/default.php