Mike DomitrzPresident, Author, and Speaker on Respect, The Center for Respect, Inc. · Author & Speaker on Respect for Schools, Corporations, & the Military since 1990 (has reached

Why Students Won't Open Up Unless They Believe You Actually Care

15 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this workshop excerpt, the facilitator (Speaker A) asks participants to articulate why they care about topics such as consent, sexual intimacy, and sexual assault. The purpose is to highlight that students gauge an educator’s genuine concern before they feel safe enough to discuss these sensitive issues. The facilitator explains that without perceiving a clear, authentic “why” in the educator’s eyes, students are unlikely to open up. Participants suggest legitimate reasons—student well‑being and safety—demonstrating that framing care around these outcomes helps build trust and encourages honest dialogue about sexual violence on campus.

Chapters

The question is, when it comes to these topics— consent, sexual intimacy, sexual assault— why do we care? If you're in the room, why do you care? Anybody willing to share why you personally— why do you care about this topic? Let me explain why I'm asking the question. If I'm a student sitting across from you and you're going to engage me in these conversations and I don't think you care, am I open enough? No way. I have to see a why in those eyes. It's just human behavior. I have to see a why. What would be a legit why for why I care about a student on this campus? Their well-being. Their well-being. There you go. Hey, who I am, Cares about the students' well-beings on this campus. You're a student, so therefore I care for you. Yeah, that's great. Any others? Their safety. Love that. If we can talk about our whys, people can understand us.