Sexual assault is classified as rape when vaginal, anal or oral intercourse takes place without the consent of the person penetrated. This includes penetration by a foreign object. Consent is defined as positive cooperation. When people consent to sexual activity, they will have indicated, verbally or otherwise, that they are participating willingly, freely, and voluntarily. However, the existence of a dating relationship between the persons involved, or the fact of past sexual relations between them, should never by itself be assumed to be an indicator of consent, nor should consent necessarily be adduced from silence.
Sexual harassment is defined in the university's separate policy on sexual harassment.
The university is committed to creating a campus environment that both promotes and expedites prompt reporting of sexual assault, and to providing compassionate support services for survivors. Students who become the victims of campus-related sexual assault are entitled to certain rights that shall be accorded by all university officers, administrators, and employees. The right to be informed of their options with regard to notifying law enforcement authorities, and to be assisted in notifying such authorities if they so choose. The right to be free from pressure not to report crimes to civil or criminal authorities, or to report them as lesser offenses than the victims perceive them to be. This includes the right to be free from any suggestion that a victim somehow contributed to her or his own victimization by contributory negligence, or by assuming the risk of being assaulted, or by otherwise sharing the responsibility for what is alleged to have occurred.