Sexual Wellness & Consent

Sexual Wellness and Community Wellness

At NSCC, we know that personal wellbeing is essential to your academic well-being. Part of your personal well-being is being aware of your sexual wellness, the impacts your behaviours have on roommates or other housing occupants, and those you interact with. Everybody has the right to work and study in a secure environment free from any form of sexual violence. We at NSCC want to ensure that all members of the College community understand what sexual violence is and know how to respond.

This section of the guide discusses sexual wellness, consent, and sexual violence. This section briefly overviews supports for both physical and mental health, however, this is further discussed in the section on Health & Wellness.

Sexual Wellness

There are various sexual health wellness clinics and services throughout the province.

Supporting your sexual wellness, and that of your roommates includes insuring you are being respectful about where, when, and how loud your sex is. In the roommate agreement, speak about roommate’s comfort related to sex, sex in shared spaces (for example, showers), and if they would prefer prior notice if bringing a partner home for sex.

For your physical sexual wellness, ensure you are using barrier methods (condoms, dental damns, gloves) when having sex. Always ensure you are getting tested between partners. This can happen at community health clinics. This is for both you and your roommate’s wellness. For more information, visit Sexual Health Nova Scotia.

Consent

Consent means someone freely agrees to engage in a certain act. Consent is an active, ongoing, affirmative, conscious, direct, unimpaired and voluntary agreement to engage and continue to engage in sexual activity. It is a non-negotiable part of sexual activity. A person who is asleep or unconscious is incapable of consenting to sexual activity. In other words, if consent is not present, it is sexual assault.

A person may be incapable of consenting to sexual activity when there is an imbalance of power or authority, or when one person is in a position of trust and persuades another to engage in sexual activity. The act of using subtle pressure, drugs, alcohol, or force to have sexual contact with someone against their will (when they have already expressed that they do not want to have sexual contact) is sexual coercion.

It is important to be knowledgeable about the Canadian laws related to sexual interactions. The age of consent is typically 16 years old, however, there are exceptions in Canada, where the legal age must be higher related to a person in a position of trust, influence, and dependency. Please read the Age of Consent to Sexual Activity on the Government of Canada’s website.

Also, it is prohibited in the NSCC Employee Code of Conduct for the NSCC Employees to engage in romantic and/or sexual relationships with students.

Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence is an umbrella term describing any act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression, whether physical or psychological in nature, that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without their consent. These include in-person and digital/cyber actions. This violence takes different forms including, but not limited to sexual harassment, cyber harassment, cyber stalking of a sexual nature, sexual abuse, sexual assault, criminal harassment (stalking), indecent exposure, voyeurism, non-consensual distribution of sexual/intimate images, and human trafficking.

Sexual Violence also includes:

• Coercion of another person’s sexuality by physical or psychological intimidation
• Denial of another person’s sexual decision-making rights.
• Retaliation or threats by an individual because of their sexual advances not being accepted.
• Removal of or failure to use a condom during intercourse without consent is also considered sexual assault.

Sexual violence can be:

• A single occurrence, or can be ongoing by the same or different perpetrator(s)
• Experienced by people of all genders
• Experienced by people of any age
• Is most likely perpetrated by someone known to the victim/survivor
• In-­person or online (i.e. using social media such as Facebook and Tinder, sharing nude pictures, texting)

Sexual Assault

Sexual Assault refers to any form of sexual contact without consent. Sexual assault includes, but is not limited to, unwanted kissing, fondling, touching, disrobing, oral or anal sex, vaginal intercourse, or other forms of penetration. It also includes inducing intoxication, impairment, or incapacity for the purpose of making another person vulnerable to non-consensual sexual activity.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment is a course of unwelcome, humiliating, and/or embarrassing comments of a sexual nature, persistent or abusive sexual solicitation or advances directed at an individual based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, by another individual or group who knows, or ought reasonably to know, that this attention is unwelcome; any solicitation or advance which is known, or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome, humiliating and/or embarrassing made by an individual who is in the position to confer or deny a benefit; and /or any reprisal or threat of reprisal, for refusing to comply with an implied or expressed sexual solicitation or advance.
Sexual harassment also includes, but is not limited to:

• unwanted and repeated direct or indirect communication, including emails, gifts, letters or notes
• display of sexually suggestive pictures, posters, objects or graffiti
• unwanted behaviors or comments that fetishize perceived personal characteristics such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and/or race, age, size, etc.
• any of the behaviors described here when these behaviors are displayed or communicated on any form of social media or other electronic media

If you experience Sexual Violence

If you are in immediate physical danger:

• Go somewhere safe
• Call 911 Emergency if it’s an emergency and you require emergency responders (ambulance, police, fire)

If you are on Campus:

• activate the Emergency Blue Pull Station

If you are out of immediate physical danger and need immediate care:

• SANE – can put you in touch with the nearest Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE).

If you need any support related to the topic of sexual violence while studying at NSCC you can contact your Campus Counsellor, or the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Lead.

Talk to an NSCC Counsellor

This is confidential (in most cases)

• Receive emotional support, resources and possible accommodations.
• Contact Student Services Counsellor or ALP Counsellor to book an appointment with a Counsellor.

Talk to an NSCC Employee

This is not confidential.

• The employee will connect with NSCC’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Lead about your conversation.
• Names do not usually need to be provided at this point, but this can result in action, which may include opening an investigation.
• The Housing Coordinator or Manager of Student Services at your campus are examples of NSCC employees who are familiar with the sexual violence policy.

Talk to the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Lead

Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

• Contact Shannon Pringle, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Lead, directly at Shannon.Pringle@nscc.ca or call 1-782-641-5117.
• Shannon can explain what is confidential and what is not, describe options and processes and let you know what supports are available.
• You will also decide how and if you wish to participate in any process ahead.

Call the Good2Talk Support Line

This is confidential and available 24/7.

• Receive crisis counselling and information about supports, services and community resources.
• Contact Good2Talk by calling 1-833-292-3698 or text GOOD2TALKNS to 686868.

To learn more information on sexual violence supports off-campus visit the NSCC Get Support web page.

To learn more information on sexual violence supports, policy and procedures visit: NSCC Sexual Violence Supports