As coordinators for Consent is Mac, we have to make decisions involving the campus culture. As involved as we’d like to be, we recognize the limitations of student-run campaigns, and we know it is difficult to represent all of the nuances and diverse experiences of consent on campus. To help combat our limitations, this semester we’ve created a more interactive Consent is Mac campaign. We are seeking to expand the discussion of consent at Mac, and we hope to promote direct interaction between the consent campaign and the Macalester community. There are multiple ways in which you can join us and help contribute to our mission!

We run a tumblr (consentismac.tumblr.com) where we post about various issues surrounding consent, like sexual violence, rape culture and how race, class, gender and ability intersect with these issues. We also focus on feminist and LGBTQ matters that influence consent in our society. If you have questions about anything we post or if you have any suggestions for articles, videos or artwork, just send us a link or attachment via our tumblr or our health promotions email! That being said, don’t be afraid to submit your own artwork, prose, poetry, photography or opinion piece. We hope our tumblr will serve as a platform to complicate consent, provide information and articles and promote discussion and inclusivity at Macalester.

The concept of consent is constantly evolving and has been a recent fixture in the media, from California’s new affirmative consent bill to Emma Sulkwitcz’s public visual art project, which condemns Columbia University’s inappropriate handling of her sexual assault case. We are excited to see college students across the country creating consent campaigns, most notably UCLA’s 7000 in Solidarity campaign.

However, consent can be a wide and varied topic, making it difficult to discuss in an intimate way. Our student pamphlet is meant to give you time to focus on whatever facet of consent that speaks to you. Inspired by the “The Ways We Drink at Mac” pamphlet sponsored by the GSRC last semester, we’re looking to compile a booklet of student submissions addressing issues relating to how we ask for and give physical and/or sexual consent. We all come from diverse backgrounds where consent may or may not have been addressed, so your first introduction to consent might have been during orientation at “Sexy Ways to Ask for Consent.” How has your understanding of asking for and giving consent evolved since then? How have your identities come into play? These pieces can be poetry, narrative or visual art. SPO anonymously or not to the Health and Wellness Center.

In addition to new creations, our approach includes introducing new elements to what we have established on campus. In previous years, our Consent is Mac posters have focused significantly on the communication between two people, but we’ve expanded our campaign this semester to incorporate bystander prevention, the influence of pop culture on consent and consent within the context of a loving relationship. You can see our posters around campus as well as online, so keep an eye out. They feature the Health Promotions student staff, so you’ll definitely recognize us! We’ll also be submitting the posters along with our commentary to our tumblr page. Finally, we love seeing people wearing their Consent is Mac T-shirts, and it is a great way to show your support! It is so wonderful to see how receptive the Macalester community is to discussing and hearing about consent. Consent is Mac is not our topic. It’s just our interest to maintain its presence on campus in a productive way, and in no way do we want to be the only voices on campus. We are more than willing to answer or respond to any questions or feedback sent to our Health Promotions email: [email protected].