In August 2023, hundreds of student athletes gathered at the CRLS gym to be divided into teams and taught about different aspects of consent by student sports captains. The workshop lasted about two hours and covered a wide range of topics, ranging from consent culture to hazing. These workshops were organized by consent consultant Caitlin Dube and the CRLS wellness department, headed by director Tom Arria.
Out of 32 student athletes surveyed by the Register Forum, 75% said that it was needed in the athletic community.
“I’d say that they have taken fairly good steps to not solve, but at least improve, the issue,” said Gareth Flandro ‘27, who participated in the athletic workshop.
On a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely educational, over 55% of students rated the workshop’s content a 4 or 5.
Athletic Director Tom Arria told the Register Forum that “the response appears to be positive throughout the majority if not all of our athletes. People are excited that we’re addressing it [and] that we’re bringing it to the forefront.”
Despite this, nearly 60% of student athletes believed the workshop was too long. Others thought that captains could have used more training in preparation for teaching such a sensitive topic.
“I was only told the day before that I would have to lead a workshop,” said Elena Montalvo-Ramirez ‘25, the women’s fencing saber captain. “The schedule was extremely messy.”
Looking beyond the athlete workshop, there has generally been a large increase in consent workshops over the past few years. A consent-focused class called Train the Trainer was developed two years ago, and the Title Nine Aurelia Advocates (TIAA), a student-led group, have continued this work in the CRLS community. Between these two forces, workshops centered around consent have been led for athletes, students, and faculty.
Train the Trainer teacher Caroline Berz told the Register Forum that “students have been asking for more consent education for a long time, and I think the walkout really highlighted the need for it,” in reference to the 2022 walkout which called on the school to address prevalent sexual assault and harrassment in CRLS. “It’s a growing program at our school, and it’s something that I think a lot of us feel really proud about and want to do more,” Berz continued.
For Angelica Brisk, a sports journalism teacher at CRLS, these workshops were a necessary addition to the community. In a workshop conducted in her classroom last year, Brisk said, “a student had to walk out… and leave the workshop. They expressed the fact that they just needed to take a breath because they were still suffering from the trauma of a non-consensual situation. It made it so clear how important this is.”
These workshops are making a difference. Out of 283 9th grade students surveyed by Train the Trainer, over 98% believe their understanding of consent improved during the workshop. Furthermore, over 98% believe it’s possible to implement consent in their daily lives.
“There’s never been a job that I haven’t been sexually harassed in,” said Brisk. “I do think that these consent workshops, and the real strength and clarity with which people have been speaking, is making a good, positive impact on creating culture change.”
This article also appears in our November 2023 print edition.
