Let’s talk about sex (cue a bunch of handsome boys singing A Capella in the riff-off scene of "Pitch Perfect").

OK, but seriously -- how about we have a talk about non-consensual sex?

A survey was recently conducted by the Association of American Universities, with the intent of providing a better understanding the experiences and attitudes of students on the topic of sexual assault through the release of the findings. Through the survey (which covered the students of 27 universities), 11.7 percent of students reported experiencing forms of sexual assault and/or misconduct.

That is more than one out of every 10 people (no matter which gender) dealing with sexual assault, and I’m here to say: this is not OK.

What’s even less OK is the fact that a lot of students don’t give these issues a second thought -- the majority of us are reportedly certain that we won’t experience sexual assault or misconduct ourselves. So, I want to ask this question: when do we start taking this topic seriously? I say "we" because I am guilty of not taking sexual assault and sexual misconduct as seriously as one probably should.

Maybe it’s the fact that sexual assault and/or misconduct is an ambiguous topic to think about, so let’s break it down. Sexual assault, in its purest definition, is any involuntary sexual act in which a person is coerced to engage in against their will.

This means you aren’t necessarily being physically held down or forced - it could be verbal coercion as well. Hell - in this day and age, the aggression could even occur through a series of text messages. No matter how it happens, it’s a lot more prevalent and possible than any of us would like to think.

For those of us that have experienced it, according to the survey, we are not taking it seriously enough to report it. Again, this is so not OK.

Sexual misconduct of any form -- any level of "seriousness" -- is still sexual misconduct. It is a form of assault.

Regardless of how you may feel initially, the emotional and physical damages will still be there long-term. While we shouldn’t have to think so much about sexual assault as young adults, we unfortunately have to. Whether it’s non-consensual sex on a drunken weekend night, or physically forced into it, it’s all the same.

It is not OK.

#NotYoursNotEver