Sexual assualt. It can be a gray area.

These incidents happen more than they are reported. Last year, 13 cases were reported, but if you go out to parties on the weekend, 13 rapes could be just one night in East Lansing.

This is a major issue for a university campus, because most of the victims are young students. Without parents and rules, there's freedom to do a lot of things. Sexual encounters are not unusual for many students living here, and sexual assaults are, sadly, going to be an issue.

There's an apparent lack of sensitivity that the university is trying to address. Starting next fall, the sexual assault task force has recommended a mandatory two-hour workshop about sexual assault and relationship violence for incoming undergraduate students.

Specific plans as to what this will entail have yet to be finalized. Instead of showing a video, it sounds like this workshop could be a good fit for the Academic Orientation Program.

A two-hour workshop about this issue doesn't sound exciting, especially with all the other things incoming students have to sit through, but they need to know about sexual assault when they first come into this party-oriented atmosphere.

Not many people know all that constitutes a rape. It's a crime many don't understand.

Technically, if a woman is drunk and consents to sex, legally she was raped. That leaves room for interpretation when it comes down to who's at fault.

The law can work to help victims seek legal action and can convict those who don't know the law.

Learning what local laws and policies there are through a workshop could help prevent these undefined situations. Educating undergraduates early will likely give them a chance to internalize the facts about rape and sexual assault and, hopefully, carry them through the rest of their college careers and life.

Anyone could be a potential victim and potential perpetrators are found in the least likely of places. It's not just the guy who jumps out of the bushes, it's a friend, boyfriend, acquaintance or even the person you sit next to in class is capable of this crime.

A workshop is also a way for the university to cover its bases in the most direct way possible. They will have the opportunity to teach the facts about sexual assault and domestic violence and all the services they offer to victims. Students who commit rape will no longer be able to say they didn't understand the law.

This is by no means a solution to sexual assault in East Lansing. There might not be a solution. But students can at least use the information they'll gain to protect themselves and get help if they need it.

A workshop might not significantly lower instances of rapes, but it is bound to have at least some effect. Informing incoming students, when everything is new and freedom is intoxicating, is the best time to teach them what can happen and what to do about it. Being educated about rape and sexual assault is worth at least two hours.