This year’s freshers have to take online sexual consent quiz

The University of Bristol is asking new students to take a sexual consent quiz as part of their induction process.

As cases of rape and sexual assault – and the way they are handled –  are the cause of increasing concern on UK campuses the University of Bristol has said it has taken this “proactive approach” to show “the issue of sexual consent, as highlighted by Universities minister Jo Johnson and business secretary Sajid Javid last week,  is something the University takes seriously.”

The quiz was created by the local charity: Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support.

It provides different scenarios from going on a Tinder date to meeting someone at a club and freshers are given the option to “play” or “stop”.

If they correctly identify a non-consensual sexual scenario then they are congratulated and why they are right is explained. If they fail to spot the situation is non-consensual a message telling them why it is, pops up. If a participant chooses to “stop” a consensual scenario they are also told they are incorrect.

But, the quiz can be completed with entirely wrong answers so they don’t have to pass it in order to complete the e-induction.

“The problem is to do with awareness” said Alex, who studies at Bristol, “the lack of knowledge about this kind of thing is massive.”

If ignorance is the main contributing factor to rape culture at uni then we can hope that this quiz will educate freshers on sexual consent, especially when alcohol is on the cards.

Though an online quiz can hardly fix this huge problem on campus, at least the University is showing it acknowledges the issue is there and is taking a step, however small, to show freshers that they can’t do whatever they want just because they’re at uni now.

You can take the quiz yourself here: