The school year is fast approaching. Which means soon hundreds of students will be returning to campus. It's an exciting time. For some people, it will be their first semester on a college campus, and for others, it's the time they'll get to see all their friends again. But the new school year is full of more than just the opportunity to have fun with your friends and grow into a better person. It also brings a higher risk of being sexually assaulted. One in five women and one in sixteen men are sexually assaulted while in college, and more than 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report it. Because of all these things, I think it's time to have a discussion about the one thing that separates sex and sexual assault.

Consent.

It has come to my attention that many people have different ideas about what exactly consent is. This could be because over the years consent has changed. So I'm about to break down several common ideas about consent and tell you if they actually are consent or not.

One common idea a lot of guys have is that being invited up to a girl's room means she wants to have sex. That is not always the case. Sometimes she does, and sometimes she just wants to hang out, and sometimes she hasn't made up her mind about what she wants to happen. Even if you are invited up, she still needs to give consent. You also shouldn't try to convince her to consent if she's already said she didn't want to. Last summer, I was listening to some older men's perspective on consent and they believed that if a boy is invited into a girl's room and she doesn't have sex with him, then he must not be very good at convincing people. One man said, "Any girl will say yes if you know how to talk her into it." I was shocked and furious there were people who actually believed this. Because what these men, and so many other guys out there didn't seem to understand, was that no does not mean convince me, no means no.

Consent can also seem blurry when alcohol or other substances are involved. If he/she is too drunk to make their clear decisions, then they are too drunk to give consent. If he/she cannot walk, stand or shows signs of alcohol poisoning then they are too drunk to give consent.

If they agreed to have sex, and then says stop. Then they are revoking consent. It is rape if she changes her mind and he continues. If at any point your partner doesn't seem like he/she is enjoying themselves or wants to stop then you need to ask them if they want to stop. Don't assume they want to keep going just because you do.

If she is wearing sexy clothing, she is not giving consent. If she is flirting with you, she is not giving consent. If she accepts the drink you buy her, she is not giving consent. If she has slept with you before, she is not giving consent. If she is willing to do other things but does not want to have sex, she is not giving consent.

Most importantly, if someone has sex with you, without being given consent, then it is rape. If this happens then please report it. Research shows that 90% of campus rapists are repeat offenders. Which means he/she probably will continue to do it. Also, if you are sexually assaulted remember it was not your fault and there are people who want to help you. Call 1-800-656-4673 for a 24/7 confidential hotline. This hotline is designed to help victims of sexual assault find local health facilities and to provide emotional support, basic medical information, and information about the laws in your area.