The Editorial Board supports the idea of a mandatory module on sexual harassment and bystander responsibility. In addition, we propose including a second, complementary section on safe sex practices — covering both contraception and sexually transmitted infections. Students would be required to pass a brief test at the end of both sections to check that they have processed the information.
Already, a number of orientation week activities are focused on providing an overview of the sexual health issues students are likely to encounter during their college years. All freshmen attend and then discuss “The Way You Move,” which focuses on issues of sexual consent. And, though the exact program varies by year, the Peer Health Advisers typically hosts a sex-education session with all RCA groups in the form of an interactive game like “Jeopardy.”
Still, it is difficult to truly force attendance (or attentiveness) at these events, and the material covered is not comprehensive. A mandatory, online module followed by testing would ensure that all students receive a standardized baseline level of knowledge.
The need for a module on sexual assault is clear: According to a 2008 survey, more than one in six female students experience non-consensual vaginal penetration during their time at the University. Additionally, an American College Health Association study conducted between 2009 and 2012 found that “1 in 8 Princeton undergraduate men and women are victims of power-based personal violence each year.” A pre-orientation week Internet education module would meaningfully increase cognizance of sexual assault as a problem at Princeton and would train students in bystander intervention tactics. It would thus further the goal of preventing acts of sexual violence from occurring.
But a component that focuses on safe sex practices is also important: The quality of sex education varies dramatically across high schools, and, in certain schools, such programs are non-existent. As a consequence, a large portion of Princeton students enter college — which, for many, will be the place of their first sexual encounter — with a dearth of information, or perhaps worse, an abundance of misinformation.
Princeton has a clear interest in correcting this educational gap: Unless proper protection is used, risk of unintended pregnancy is high. Further, according to the Center for Disease Control, individuals in the age range from 20 to 24 are at an elevated risk of getting STIs. In order to protect students, there is a need for basic sex-education.
We recognize that some students may object to the compulsory nature of such a program. But as a private university with an adult undergraduate population, Princeton retains the right to mandate our proposed curricula. After all, all students are required to complete AlcoholEdu even if they harbor a religious objection to alcohol consumption or intend never to drink for other reasons.
The University’s interest in fostering a sexually healthy environment on campus trumps individual misgivings. Regardless of one’s own sexual behavior, the two-pronged program proposed here has valuable educational benefits: all information would be presented in a scientific, objective manner. It would serve to dispel popular myths, and prepare students for potential encounters that either they or their friends will eventually have while at Princeton.
Zach Horton dissents.
This article has been updated to reflect Zach Horton's dissent.
Correction: An earlier version of this editorial stated the name of the 'The Way You Move' as 'Sex on a Saturday Night,' the title that had previously been used. In addition, the editorial misattributed the figure that 1 in 8 undergraduates experience power-based personal violence to a survey conducted by SHARE. The figure came from the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment II conducted at Princeton. Finally, the editorial incorrectly stated that a jeaopardy-style game is conducted by SHARE. The game, Safer Sex Jeopardy, is conducted by Peer Health Advisers. The 'Prince' regrets the errors.
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