Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Which Way, L.A.?

    Which Way, L.A.?

    Can 'Yes Means Yes' End Sexual Assault on Campus?

    At California's colleges and universities, incoming freshmen go to orientation sessions that deal with potential hazards, including earthquakes, fires and gunmen on the loose. This year, a new state law requires instruction about another peril of modern campus life: sexual assault.

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Aug 27, 2015 • 22m Listen

    It may sound academic, but the hottest new phrase on college campuses in California is "affirmative consent" — sometimes abbreviated as "yes means yes." It's the new state standard for allegations of sexual assault -- designed to put the burden on perpetrators, instead of their victims. But critics say it violates legal rights the accused is entitled to. We hear how it's being applied in every institution of higher learning that wants to receive state money.

    Photo: Hagen Möbius

    More

    • Tillman on the new college consent law

    • OC Register editorial on "yes means yes"

    • UC Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault

    • FIRE on the California Affirmative Consent Bill as a threat to student due process

    • UCI CARE Office on sexual assault

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Benjamin Gottlieb

      Reporter, Fill-in Host

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christine Detz

      Producer, 'To the Point'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jodie Tillman

      Orange County Register

    • KCRW placeholder

      Meghan Warner

      UC Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault

    • KCRW placeholder

      Samantha Harris

      Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

      News
    Back to Which Way, L.A.?