Yale Tries to Clarify What Sexual Misconduct Is in a New Guide Sex is rarely a straightforward matter on college campuses, but in recent years it has been a particularly fraught issue at Yale University. Two years ago a federal complaint described a "hostile sexual environment on campus," and more recently an accounting of sexual misconduct complaints prompted protests that the university was not punishing wrongdoers aggressively enough. So to help clarify the meaning of "nonconsensual sex," the parameters of acceptable sexual behavior and the penalties for anyone who violates those limits the university has enlisted the help of 16 imaginary people. A document Yale released this week includes eight short sketches in which fictional characters navigate sexual encounters, sometimes respecting each other's right to consent, and sometimes not. "Jamie and Cameron are at a party," begins one of the hypothetical situations. It is crowded on the dance floor and they are briefly pressed together. Later, Jamie encounters Cameron in the hallway and smiles. Cameron, who is now very drunk, follows Jamie into the bathroom and forces Jamie to have sex. Each of the narratives is followed by an explanation of whether or not the actions described violate the university's policies. In the case of Jamie and Cameron, "There was no consent to have sex." The penalty, readers are told, "would be expulsion." Two of the other situations would also result in expulsion, and in one other, expulsion would be a possibility. Things are not so clear-cut in the sketch about Sidney and Harper, who have been having intimate contact, but not sex - until Harper pushes things further, despite reluctance and tears on Sidney's part. "Sidney's acquiescence to sex was accompanied by too much dismay to constitute unambiguous agreement, especially given Sidney's longstanding prior refusal to engage in sex," the guide says. The penalty "would likely fall in the range of probation to suspension." Riley and Alexis, studying together in Riley's room, fare better. Alexis wants sex. Riley responds they should probably get some sleep but continues to touch Alexis. After a few more minutes, Alexis asks once more. Riley pauses, then says O.K. and pulls Alexis closer. They have sex. The verdict: "There is no violation of the sexual misconduct policy," though Alexis would likely benefit from a "sensitivity training program" and advice "about the inappropriateness of sexual pressure." Thomas Conroy, a spokesman for the university, said that in addition to defining the meaning of nonconsensual sex, the document was an attempt to shed light on disciplinary policies without violating the privacy of those involved in real events. As for the decision to use fictional encounters, he said, scholarly research and the experience of other schools like Duke University indicated they were an effective tool for communication. In 2011, a group of students and graduates filed a complaint with the United States Department of Education saying Yale was violating Title IX, the federal gender-equality law, by failing to eliminate a hostile sexual environment on campus. The complaint laid out a range of transgressions against women, from taunts to assaults, over several years, including an episode in which fraternity members were accused of chanting misogynistic slogans. Yale committed to reforms, and the Education Department ended its inquiry. One of the changes was the issuing of semiannual reports of sexual complaints made to the university, covering accusations from harassment to rape and how Yale had handled them. Some students complained that in cases that merited expulsion the students had been punished too lightly, and that rules on what would merit suspension or expulsion were still unclear. The situations put out this week were intended to clarify matters, though with their strained androgynous names - Morgan and Kai, Devin and Ansley - and their suggestive-but-not-too-suggestive details, they also became easy targets for parody, including one by the Web site Gawker. Still, Emma Goldberg, a sophomore and a member of Students Against Sexual Violence at Yale, said the narratives provided much-needed guidance. She said her group wanted to work with Yale administrators to develop more of them, particularly about ambiguous cases that might warrant mild penalties like written reprimands. "Previously, we did not have a clear idea of what variables might impact the penalties handed down in cases of sexual misconduct," she wrote in an e-mail.