Ninth Level Ireland

“Depending on who you ask, you may well receive a different answer on what it means to give or receive consent. ‘It’s simple’, someone might say, ‘No means No and Yes means Yes’. But in an environment where 32% of Irish students reported they would find it difficult to tell their partner they did not want to have sex and 1 in 4 female students have experienced unwanted sexual contact …” (more)

[Jack Ryan, Trinity News, 8 November]

“The University of Limerick is to host a sexual consent workshop this week. Last year UL ran 48 consent workshops, primarily delivered by student life officers at the university …” (more)

[Mike Finnerty, Limerick Leader, 12 August]

“One of the most ambitious attempts to create a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to sexual harassment in Irish third level is unfolding on the campus of University College Cork (UCC). A few years ago, it began piloting a compulsory series of workshops on ‘bystander intervention’ during the first year of its law, nursing and applied psychology classes …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 19 March]

“You’d be forgiven for thinking that the argument in favour of mandatory consent workshops has been won – and resoundingly so. After all, even national politicians – people we wouldn’t normally consider to be ahead of the times – warmly received the presidents of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union and the Union of Students in Ireland when they asked for increased funding for consent education …” (more)

[University Times, 19 November]

“It may not be possible to extend classes on sexual consent to all students at Trinity College Dublin due to a lack of funding, an Oireachtas committee was told on Tuesday. Trinity College Dublin students’ union has run consent workshops for students living in Trinity Hall college accommodation based in Rathmines, and these saw 90% attendance rates last year …” (more)

[Aine McMahon, Irish Times, 23 October]

“An Oireachtas committee is examining the effectiveness, timeliness and certification of sexual consent classes at Ireland’s universities. The Joint Committee on Education and Skills is looking at whether third-level of education is the right time to introduce these classes – or whether this needs to happen more at secondary level …” (more)

[Jack Quann, NewsTalk, 23 October]

“Attendances at sexual consent workshops at universities has ‘skyrocketed’ this year following a number of high-profile cases. In some colleges, the number of students signing up for the training courses has jumped 600% …” (more)

[Joyce Fegan, Irish Examiner, 22 October]

“Half naked students performing mock sex acts, some stripping down to their jocks, others breaking up with their other halves over the phone. This was an actual, real-life initiation procedure to get into the Accounting and Finance Society (A&F) at DCU for the 2018/19 academic year …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 20 October]

“A few weeks ago, the Irish Examiner reported that three University College Cork (UCC) students were raped in the week that classes began this semester. As we watch the fallout in the aftermath of the Kavanaugh trial and Bill Cosby begins his prison sentence, one can only shake their heads in disbelief at RTE’s tweet last week, which asked whether the #MeToo movement has done more harm than good …” (more)

[Aoife Kearins, University Times, 11 October]

“Labour spokesperson on Justice, and TD for Cork East, Seán Sherlock has called on Minister Mitchell O’Connor to lay out a timeline for the delivery of promised compulsory consent classes in Irish Universities. This call follows reporting today of three incidents of rape of students in Cork in recent weeks …” (more)

[The Labour Party, 25 September]

“The National University of Ireland Galway Students’ Union (NUIGSU) are to run the first ever consent workshops at two of their student residences, Corrib Village and Goldcrest Village. Organised by the NUI Galway Smart Consent Programme, over 40 trained volunteers will participate in the education of sexual consent to first year students …” (more)

[Caroline Boyle, Trinity News, 10 September]

“Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor is considering making classes on sexual consent compulsory in all Irish colleges, following a series of workshops at the University of Limerick …” (more)

[Nicole Glennon, Limerick Post, 3 September]

“Sir, – The recent NUIG study on sexual consent among Irish students (‘Majority of students do not think 12 pints makes a person unable to give consent’, August 7th) certainly paints a depressing picture, for which some kind of response is warranted …” (more)

[Lennon O’Naraigh, Irish Times, 10 August]

“Sexual consent workshops may become mandatory for students in all third-level colleges in the wake of new research on sex-related attitudes and behaviours on campus. Higher Education Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor said she thought it was time to make them compulsory, describing as ‘troubling’ findings from a study by NUI Galway …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 8 August]

“Trinity has approved a €15,000 expansion of consent classes in a move that would see College take responsibility for funding the pioneering workshops. A meeting of the Student Life Committee today approved the proposal from Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) to expand the consent classes, after two successful pilot years in Trinity Hall …” (more)

[Dominic McGrath and Aisling Marren, University Times, 30 May]

“Sir, – The Bystander Intervention pilot programme at UCC introduced in 2016/17 addresses the issues of sexual and relationship violence among students, by developing an understanding of the dangers of the social normalisation of abusive behaviour, an awareness of indicators of danger and abusive relationships, and the crucial capacity of a bystander to positively and safely intervene …” (more)

[Louise Crowley, Irish Times, 6 April]

“Students in University College Cork (UCC) have launched a petition to make consent classes mandatory for all incoming first year students. Launched yesterday by UCC Feminist Society, the petition currently has over 700 signatories, surpassing the original aim of 500 set by the committee …” (more)

[Seana Davis, Trinity News, 8 February]

“87.8% of students who attended the consent workshops organised by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) stated they believe the workshops should take place ‘every orientation’, according to feedback gathered by the Union …” (more)

[Aisling Grace, Trinity News, 22 November]

“The rules of the dating game are changing. For Trinity College students in Dublin nightclubs, it can help to have a flyer with advice on sexual consent close to hand. It spells out in an easy acronym: FRIES or ‘freely-given, retractable, informed, enthusiastic and specific’ …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien and Jenna Clarke-Molloy, Irish Times, 3 November]

“The organisers of the consent workshops in Trinity Hall have been forced to put on extra workshops and call in more facilitators due to the large numbers of students turning up to participate in the classes. With 400 people participating in the workshops as a whole last year, over 200 people turned up to the workshops on the first day alone …” (more)

[Kathleen McNamee, University Times, 20 September]