I received an email this week from Michigan State University, reminding me to take their "Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct" (RVSM) training program. It was available online through a simple link, and I would not receive any academic updates until I did so.

The same email came to me a month or so ago when classes started, and I quickly deleted it, refusing to acknowledge the fact that these programs actually do anything at all to help students. I took the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence (SARV) program through MSU last year, and after doing so, I emailed the director and advised them to make drastic changes to the program. Every scenario within the training involved a person who was very drunk, and I thought that this resulted in very one-sided training.

It's undeniable that sexual assault is a problem at Michigan State. We hear about it all the time, and the school even sends out text alerts when it happens. However, MSU is missing a big piece of information that would make these training programs so much more beneficial.

Alcohol.

Under the influence, alcohol can cause us to lose our minds, literally. We forget what we are doing, where we are going, and who we are with - so much so that we wake up the next morning with not a clue as to what happened the night before. But that is besides the point. What needs to be noted is that WE make the choice to drink. That beer isn't shoved down our throat; no, we bash it against our own heads and shotgun it as quickly as possible. The choice to drink is our own, and even though our friends may influence us, the ultimate decision is completely ours.

So while these training programs are somewhat informative, they're also incredibly misleading, and I quote from the most recent RVSM program: "We don't want you to feel guilty about a choice you made."

Wrong; we do. You need to feel guilty so that you won't let it happen again. You should feel bad about drinking a whole fifth of Smirnoff so that when you're tempted to next time, you'll remember what happened and will choose to put the bottle down.

I muted my computer as I completed the training this past week. I didn't want to hear about all the ways to prevent sexual assault. I'd much rather here about how to safely consume alcohol so that you won't even be put in such a situation.

Michigan State is taking the wrong approach in educating students about sexual assault and prevention of it, and until they make a conscious effort to TRULY help students put down the bottle, these actions are still going to keep happening.