ABSTRACT
The myths of consent received their most public airing in a 1993 Harper's magazine article that aroused considerable controversy. The invalidity of the Historical Myth has been proven for years in the pages of countless books and articles on college life, works that echo, if they mention sex between students and professors at all, a passage written in 1980, when colleges and universities first demonstrated concern about consensual sex. John Kenneth Galbraith's matrimonial success and Abelard's fate aside, there are telling observations that should be made about the Marriage Myth. Females, who tend to emphasize relationships and to derive self-esteem primarily from winning the approval of others, are especially at risk as a result of the Composed Student Myth. Beyond the myths and romantic accounts of teachers and students who fell in love at first sight and remain blissfully joined after decades lie the harsh realities of "consent."
