In a time when sexual assault issues are dominating college campuses across the country, the founder of a national company dedicated to raising awareness of consent and other issues paid Elon University a visit Wednesday.

Called “Can I Kiss You?” the talk, brought to campus Wednesday evening by SPARKS Peer Education, allowed founder of The Date Safe Project, Mike Domitrz,  to raise awareness among students regarding the risks for sexual assault and accountability issues for bystanders.

“Our main goal is teaching students to learn how to intervene, ask and open the door for survivors.” Domirtz said.

It was a joint effort of the SPARKS team to bring Domitrz to Elon during a crucial time to inform students, but especially freshmen, during “the red zone” of the first six weeks of school for sexual assault.

“We wanted to incorporate it during orientation,” Kaufmann said. “It’s the red zone, which is the first six weeks of school for colleges. It’s when the most risks involving alcohol and sex happen.”

Domitrz employed a mix humor, skits and audience participation to convey these lessons to a rapt audience.

Some students suggested there is a void in sexual education that may come from high school.

“I think it’s important because consent is not typically taught to students, especially in high school,” senior Anna von Wodtke said. “Nobody had ever spoken to me about what consent was before I came here.”

Consent, to Domitrz, is about giving permission for any sexual acts and understanding boundaries between two people.

He emphasized the importance of consent in healthy relationships because it means initial respect and a more personal connection between two people – even if it can be uncomfortable at times.

“If you’ve been intimate with another person, you’ve been awkward,” Domitrz said.

He also debunked the reasoning behind why people don’t step in to prevent sexual assault - that people want to mind their own business, that they don’t want to prevent their friends from doing something they want, that they want to avoid confrontation.

“Human beings have no problem with confrontation, as long as we believe the confrontation is worth it,” Domitrz said.

He began debunking myths like the desire to avoid confrontation, and explaining why these initial beliefs are wrong through relatable examples like college parties.

References to high-profile domestic abuse cases in the news cropped up in Domitrz’s talk, too. He touched on Ray Rice and other NFL players involved with domestic abuse lawsuits, as well as Rush Limbaugh’s radio slurs related to rape.

Above all, Domitrz encouraged students in the audience to look out for each other.

“Our DNA is wired to care about each other,” Domitrz said. “It’s our business.”

He added, “Nice people who respect each other don’t finish last. They just might take a little longer because they have standards.”

The talks officially started in 1991, but Domitrz was influenced earlier when he found out about his sister’s rape while he was a freshman in college in 1989.

Domitrz spoke at Elon last two years ago, but SPARKS wanted to bring him back to help inform freshmen, as well as other students, about the dangers of alcohol and the meaning of consent.

“He is truly one of the most sought out people on this topic, so it’s really great that he’s here,” senior Josh Kaufmann, and SPARKS team leader, said.

The peer education service hosts events throughout the year focused on informing students about alcohol consumption, sex and other issues that college student deal with.

“Choices” is one new SPARKS event geared towards freshmen that talks about consent, alcohol and gives a general introduction to problems students in college may face.

SPARKS, EFFECT and SPACE, a new organization on campus, all work to raise awareness about consent and assault on campus. For off-campus resources, contact CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response & Resource Center at 336-228-0813.