No one has a right to have sex or sexual contact with you without your full, knowing, and voluntary consent, even if that person is your spouse or a previous or current intimate partner. Additionally, you are NOT expected or required to fight the perpetrator or scream for assistance and must give consent to sexual contact. MDC Policy I20 lists sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking as sexual offenses that the College prohibits. Help is available.
What is Consent?
Consent is intelligent, knowing and voluntary consent. It does not include coerced submission and shall not be deemed or construed to mean your failure to offer physical resistance to the offense.
What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault is any sexual act, contact or behavior directed against you without your consent, including instances where you are incapable of giving consent. This includes, but is not limited to rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape.
In Florida, a sexual assault is termed Sexual Battery and is defined under Florida State Statute 794.011. If a sexual act occurred, but you did not (or were not fully able to) consent to the act, specifically any vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by, or contact with the perpetrator (or by any object), you are the victim of a sexual offense.
What is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is violence committed by a person who is:
- Your current or former spouse or intimate partner;
- The biological parent of your child;
- Cohabitating with or has cohabitated with you as a spouse or intimate partner;
- Similarly situated to your spouse under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred;
- An adult or youth victim who is protected from that person's acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.
What is Dating Violence?
Dating violence is violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with you. For the purpose of this definition it: a) includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse; and b) does not include acts covered under the definition of domestic violence.
The existence of such a relationship shall be determined with consideration of:
- length of the relationship
- type of relationship
- frequency of interaction between the persons in the relationship
What is Stalking?
Stalking is engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to:
- fear for his or her safety or the safety of others
- suffer substantial emotional distress