The campaign, started by three Residential College in the Arts and Humanities friends in the student group Compass MSU, aims to improve the understanding of consent on campus — replacing the traditional “No means no” idea of consent when it comes to sexual activities.

Compass MSU aims to involve men in the modern feminist movement, readdress masculinity and end sexism,, according to the group’s Facebook site.

“‘No means no’ — that kind of assumes you should be waiting for a ‘No’, when you should be waiting for a ‘Yes,’” said RCAH and women’s and gender studies junior Ryan Tarr, one of the group leaders. “‘Yes means yes’ is about getting consent to be enthusiastic, verbal and continual.”

Tarr said the “Yes means yes” campaign encourages consent to be given and affirmed both verbally and in other ways as a sexual encounter continues, as opposed to traditional expectations that a woman is consensual unless she says “No.”

Healthy consent tactics were just one of a number of subjects addressed by Compass MSU at a “Yes means yes” workshop hosted Thursday night in Snyder-Phillips Hall as a part of Take Back the Night, which aims to raise awareness of domestic and sexual abuse through events, including a march next Tuesday to the Capitol.

Members of Compass MSU also led discussion aimed to bring men into conversation on eliminating sexual assault and address issues of gender stereotypes, rape culture and victim-shaming in incidents such as the Steubenville rape case.

Cassie Desir, an advocacy counselor at the Counseling Center, said in an email that the male-led initiative helps create conversation between students and hopefully can lead to open and honest discussions about sexual expectations.

She said both people involved in a sexual partnership are responsible for getting consent, meaning a clear “yes” needs to occur before moving forward.

“Ask, ‘Is it OK if I do this?’ ‘Would you like me to do that?’” Desir said. “Some people may be uncomfortable with this only because it is not what they are used to doing. Asking about sexual activities can be very sexy, and a form of foreplay in, and of, itself.”

RCAH and interdisciplinary studies in social sciences sophomore Sean Fitzpatrick, another leader of Compass, said men need to be actively involved in the movement to stop sexual assaults, instead of mistakenly thinking that it’s enough to not rape a woman.

RCAH and women’s and gender studies junior Taylor Davis said “Yes means yes” and a male-driven initiative is a refreshing and “cool” approach, but she hopes more people than the six men and one other woman who attended the workshop can get involved to prevent sexual assault in any form, even unintended.

“A lot of people who assault women (might do so) because they don’t understand consent,” Davis said.

Visit endrape.msu.edu or call the Counseling Center’s 24-Hour sexual assault crisis line at 517-372-6666 for on-campus sexual violence resources and counseling.