Development continues on sexuality pilot
Though the Critical Thinking in Sexuality pilot is not currently listed in the course catalogue or in Schedule Planner, the class is still set begin in February, according to Director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Title IX Support Allison Vogt. Registration for the class will open for students within the next two weeks.
Next year’s CTIS class will comprise of five 50-minute sessions mandatory for incoming freshmen; students interested in learning more can enroll in five additional sessions for the remainder of the semester. Vogt said the pilot will include both the mandatory and optional sessions, and that the content for the pilot’s curriculum has been finalized.
The pilot course will be offered to students as a Lifetime Physical Activity Program section, and will incorporate components from the Project SAFE session during Orientation Week and the original CTIS class proposed by then-Student Association President Jazz Silva in fall 2015.
For incoming freshmen, the mandatory sessions will not count for credit hours, as registration holds will be placed on students’ Esther accounts until they complete the course.
Students Transforming Rice Into a Violence-Free Environment liaison Lauren Wood said she understood some students’ concerns over the content of the course, and encouraged them to reach out to the STRIVE liaisons or Vogt with their feedback.
“There’s a lot of difficult logistics and legal aspects about what Rice can require students to learn that I discovered when meeting with Vogt,” Wood, a Will Rice College senior, said. “She has been very open to changing how the mandatory and optional courses are offered, so I hope people who are upset bring constructive ideas to her in person, or talk to a STRIVE liaison who can pass along their thoughts.”
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