When Students for Reproductive Justice Events Coordinator Anna Wilson asked this question, the crowd went silent:

“When was the first time you remember seeing a character explicitly ask for consent?”

The fact that no one could come up with a good answer is precisely why SRJ decided to throw their “Consent in Media” event at Shelf Love DSM — located at 2326 University Ave. — Dogtown’s one and only romance book store.

“Most, if not all, college students experience some sort of romance in their college life,” said SRJ President Keira O’Brien. “It felt like a fitting setting.”

The event, held at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, focused on an open discussion led by O’Brien and Wilson. Organizers posed questions about media representation of romance, sex and consent to the group, leading to lively dialogue.

“It’s a critical conversation to have that we don’t have,” said Samantha Pollack, a senior who attended the event.

O’Brien and Wilson also highlighted three books selected by a Shelf Love DSM employee for having good examples of consent: “The Charm Offensive” by Alison Cochrun, “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood and “Face Off” by Chelsea Curto. 

“It’s important to represent romance and consent properly,” said Sarah Gardner-Bergan, the owner of Shelf Love DSM. “It’s important to have some baseline books that represent consent in a positive way, especially when it comes to contemporary romance.”

Pollack heard about the event from her boss at the Planned Parenthood Public Affairs Department. She saw the event as a great excuse to check out Shelf Love DSM, which has seen booming business since its opening only three months ago, according to Gardner-Bergan.

SRJ is a chapter of Planned Parenthood’s Generation Action network, which focuses on advocacy, education and community action for reproductive health and rights, according to Planned Parenthood’s website. 

“SRJ is seen as a pretty political student organization,” O’Brien said. “Healthcare shouldn’t be political … we want to focus more on the resource and education side of SRJ.”

O’Brien remarked that it was “the most packed” she had ever seen an SRJ event. There were 10 non-members present, notably including one non-Drake student who had seen the event on Shelf Love DSM’s Instagram account.

If students are interested in getting involved with SRJ, the organization holds meetings biweekly at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Shelf Love DSM also holds events frequently; their next major event is a visit from author Amy Dawes, who is on tour for her latest novel, “Honeymoon Phase.” The event is at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16 and will include a meet and greet with Dawes.