The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill unveiled a comprehensive revision of its policy on sexual violence and discrimination on Thursday, including its definition of consent and incapacitation.
Compared to the 2012 policy, which was in effect until now, the new policy includes several paragraphs offering increased guidance on the definition of consent and what is and what is not consent. “Consent is the communication of an affirmative, conscious, freely-made decision by each participant to engage in agreed upon forms of sexual contact; and consent is not to be inferred from silence, passivity, or a lack of resistance; and relying on non-verbal communication alone may result in a violation of UNC’s policy,” new guidance on the policy claims.
The definition of incapacitation was also expanded. It defines the term to be “where drug or alcohol is involved, as a state beyond intoxication, impairment in judgment or ‘drunkenness.'” It also offers ways individuals can determine if another person is incapacitated.
Additionally, the three-person hearing panel will include faculty and staff, not students.
The revised policy is the result of recommendations from a task force on the topic. To help the community understand the policy, UNC has created a website http://sexualassaultanddiscriminationpolicy.unc.edu. Online training will also be provided.
