Sex Lives of College Girls on HBOMax has presented the lives of four typical college girls and the shenanigans they can get into. Throughout the season, though, they've highlighted how certain behaviors can go from innocent to violating in a few moments. Take our Bela: she's a sex-positive Indian American student from New Jersey. When she gets into Essex College, she is super excited to finally explore her sexuality and be a little rebellious. What she doesn't plan for is the odd set of repercussions exploring her sexuality might have.

Bela's First Act

At the beginning of the series, we learn that Bela's parents think she is studying neuroscience, but she is actually enrolled in the communications department with the goal of getting onto a comedy writing troupe called The Catullan. The Catullan has very few open spots and is mostly organized by male classmates. They are notorious for not letting many girls in. Bela takes it upon herself to perform sexual favors on some of the upperclassmen to gain their vote.

Her roommates are horrified to find this out, but Bela brushes it off as feminism. But some of those men have girlfriends who are also on The Catullan, and they are not too happy with Bela for getting their boyfriends to cheat on them. It takes a few episodes and dozens of apologies for the women to forgive her.

What Happens Next is Not Consensual

While these interactions are wholly consensual and initiated by Bela, what happens next is not. Ryan, the editor for The Catullan, decides she is an easy mark. He invites her up to his room to go through notes on a piece she wrote and then tells her he has to show her something funny. He pulls up a clip of pornography and stands there, emotionless, watching it. Bela is noticeably confused and confesses the incident to her roommates later. The roomies encourage her to report him, telling her that it was not normal. But she just decides to stay away from him instead.

Later, Bela turns in her application for The Catullan and is shown a sacred room upstairs with a few other hopefuls. Ryan leads the tour, and at some point, everyone else leaves. While alone with Ryan, he creeps up behind her and behaves inappropriately once again. Bela is able to stop him and leaves.

How a Title IX Advisor Can Help

Bela doesn't tell anyone what happened with Ryan, but she is visually upset by it. Incidents like these absolutely fall under the banner of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, both of which are heavily regulated in colleges and universities. Most institutions in America get federal funding, but to qualify for it, they must institute plans to employ Title IX in their schools. Title IX is a federal regulation that tells universities how to handle sexual discrimination and sexual violence accusations on campus. If you think you've experienced something similar, an attorney advisor, like Attorney Joseph D. Lento, can help advocate for yourself during these proceedings. Call Attorney Lento and his expert team at the Lento Law Firm 888-535-3686 today to schedule your consultation.