WUNRN
USA – Association of American Universities Campus Survey on
Sexual Assault & Sexual Misconduct
By Nick Anderson and Susan Svrluga - September
21, 2015
In this 2012 file photo, students walk through the University of
Texas at Austin campus near the school’s iconic tower. The University of Texas
was among 27 top universities to participate in a joint study of sexual assault
on the nation’s campuses. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
The
Association of American Universities released the overall results of a
survey that asked students at 27 universities about their experiences with
sexual assault and sexual misconduct, drawing responses from more than 150,000
students.
LINK: [Survey: More than 1 in 5 female undergrads at top schools
suffer sexual attacks.]
More than 20
percent of female undergraduates at an array of prominent universities said
this year they were victims of sexual assault and misconduct, echoing findings
elsewhere, according to one of the largest studies ever of college sexual
violence.
LINK: [Read the full AAU report here.]
Here are key
data and reactions from universities that participated in the AAU’s joint study
of sexual assault this year. All schools are AAU members, except Dartmouth
College. This file will be updated
Brown
University:
Twenty-five
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 7 percent.
Ten percent
of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving non-consensual
sexual penetration. Thirty-five percent of students said sexual assault
and misconduct is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 36 percent.
“For Brown,
the report reinforces our Sexual Assault Task Force’s call to action for
confronting the very real problem of gender-based harassment and violence,”
Brown President Christina Paxson said. “The results of the survey establish a
clear baseline against which we can assess ourselves going forward and will
continue to inform ongoing education and prevention efforts to address these
problems.”
Case Western
Reserve University:
Twenty
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was nearly 6 percent.
Ten percent
of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving non-consensual
sexual penetration. Eight percent of students said sexual assault and
misconduct is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was nearly 30 percent.
“These
results provide invaluable information for us in terms of evaluating our
efforts to date and identifying areas most in need of improvement,” said Lou
Stark, vice president for student affairs. “While any misconduct that our
students suffer is regrettable, we do feel that the data show we have raised
awareness of the issue and the university’s commitment to address it.”
Cornell
University:
Twenty-three
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 6 percent.
Ten percent
of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving non-consensual
sexual penetration. Seventeen percent of students said sexual assault and
misconduct is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 19 percent.
Student
“sexual assault is a serious national problem, occurring with unacceptable
frequency at Cornell and on campuses across the country,” Cornell President
Elizabeth Garrett said. “The results also underscore there is still more work
to be done to educate and to help protect our students. Even one instance of
sexual assault on our campus is one too many.”
Dartmouth
College:
Twenty-eight
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 5 percent.
Thirteen
percent of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving
non-consensual sexual penetration. Thirty percent of students said sexual
assault and misconduct is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 42 percent.
“We hope
that you will read these materials,” Dartmouth President Phil Hanlon and
Provost Carolyn Dever said in a letter to the community as they released the
survey results. “They confirm our understanding that sexual assault and
harassment are significant challenges at Dartmouth and on campuses across the
nation. We must make progress on these very serious issues of student safety
and campus climate.”
Harvard
University:
Twenty-six
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 7 percent.
Twelve
percent of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving
non-consensual sexual penetration. Sixteen percent of students said sexual
assault and misconduct is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 53 percent (highest among all schools).
“These
deeply disturbing survey results must spur us to an even more intent focus on
the problem of sexual assault,” Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said in a
letter to the university community. “That means not just how we talk to one
another about it, not just what we say in official pronouncements, but how we
actually treat one another and live our lives together. All of us share
the obligation to create and sustain a community of which we can all be proud,
a community whose bedrock is mutual respect and concern for one another.”
Iowa State
University:
Nineteen
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 3 percent.
Nine percent
of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving non-consensual
sexual penetration. Thirteen percent of students said sexual assault is
very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 16 percent.
“While it’s
encouraging to see that many students take action when they see situations they
believe could lead to sexual assault or misconduct, we still have room for
improvement,” said Pamela Anthony, dean of students at Iowa State. “We also
want students to understand that if they are victims of sexual assault or
misconduct, reporting it will allow us to better help them.”
University
of Florida:
Twenty
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 3 percent.
Ten percent
of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents of non-consensual sexual
penetration. Eighteen percent of students said sexual assault is very or
extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 17 percent.
“UF
volunteered to participate in this survey because of the importance of this
issue. The survey gives us the ability to learn about our students’ experiences
and use that data to make our community a safer one for all students,” Jen Day
Shaw, the dean of students, said. “At UF, every Gator counts.”
University
of Michigan:
Thirty
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 7 percent.
Thirteen
percent of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving
non-consensual sexual penetration. Twenty-nine percent of students said
sexual assault is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 18 percent.
“With regard
to some areas of non-consensual sexual behavior, our numbers are higher than
the aggregate data, while in other areas we are consistent with it,” said Holly
Rider-Milkovich, director of the university’s Sexual Assault Prevention and
Awareness Center. “But in all cases, the numbers are too high and we are
committed to continuing to address the issue of sexual misconduct. The data
from these surveys are critical to our work. The more we know about our
community, the better we are able to tailor our programs to be most effective,”
she said.
University
of Missouri-Columbia:
Twenty-seven
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 6 percent.
Twelve
percent of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving
non-consensual sexual penetration. Twenty-nine percent of students said
sexual assault is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 16 percent.
“Beginning
in January of 2014, UM President Tim Wolfe and I put in place numerous new
policies, procedures and training programs, created a Title IX office, and
hired an administrator and staff,” university Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin said.
“All of these investments are aimed at reducing the number of these types of
incidents and assuring our students that if they are victims, they know they
have a place where they can report incidents and that they will be treated with
respect. Like our peer institutions who also participated in this survey, we
are committed to finding a solution to this national issue; now we have results
that can be compared in subsequent years.”
University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:
Twenty-four percent
of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual contact
through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable to
consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 7 percent.
Thirteen percent
of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving non-consensual
sexual penetration. Twenty-five percent of students said sexual assault is
very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 18 percent.
“These
issues are deeply concerning for all university leaders and society as a
whole,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “I am proud that our
university partnered with the AAU on this opportunity because learning more
about what our students perceive and experience is vital to understanding how
we can better address these issues.”
University
of Oregon:
Twenty-four percent
of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual contact
through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable to
consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 6 percent.
Eleven
percent of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving
non-consensual sexual penetration. Thirty-eight percent of students said
sexual assault is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 14 percent.
“The fact
that the incidence of sexual violence at the University of Oregon is for most
groups roughly comparable to other AAU universities makes the news from this
survey no more acceptable,” said Robin Holmes, Oregon’s vice president for
student life. “The data we’ve collected in both of the campus climate surveys
will continue to inform our prevention and response efforts. This national data
is also especially helpful because it allows us to see how we compare to other
universities.”
University
of Texas at Austin:
Nineteen
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 5 percent.
Eight
percent of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents of non-consensual
sexual penetration. Seventeen percent of students said sexual assault and
misconduct is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 13 percent.
“One sexual
assault is too many,” said UT President Gregory L. Fenves. “It is essential
that we foster a campus that does not tolerate sexual assaults while strongly
encouraging victims to come forward and report incidents. This survey is
another positive step in our efforts to create a safer campus for all of our
students.”
University
of Virginia:
Twenty-four
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 5 percent.
Eleven
percent of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving
non-consensual sexual penetration. Thirty-nine percent of students said sexual
assault and misconduct is very or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 26 percent.
“The survey
results provide an important baseline of information that will enable us to
measure and track our efforts as we continue to enhance the safety of our
community while promoting a culture of respect at the university,” U-Va.
President Teresa A. Sullivan said. “We work diligently to provide a safe
learning and living environment for every member of our community. We have
implemented many new initiatives and expanded important resources to
enhance the safety of our community. Meaningful change requires sustained
effort, so we must continue to strive to improve. I am grateful to the many
students who committed their time to complete the survey.”
Washington
University in St. Louis:
Twenty-three
percent of undergraduate women said they were victims of non-consensual sexual
contact through force or in situations when they were incapacitated and unable
to consent. Among undergraduate men, the rate was 8 percent.
Twelve percent
of undergraduate women said they suffered incidents involving non-consensual
sexual penetration. Twelve percent of students said sexual assault is very
or extremely problematic at the school.
The survey
response rate was 23 percent.
“These
numbers are sobering, to be sure, but sadly not unexpected, given the
well-documented challenges of sexual assault, misconduct and harassment that
colleges and universities across the nation have faced for decades,” said
university Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. “The survey data are consistent with
other insight we have gained in recent years. In many ways they affirm what we
already know, and they also underscore the need to ramp up our efforts,
particularly in the area of prevention. We have a strong base on which to build
through efforts that are underway, which the data show are making a difference
in education and awareness.”
The
following colleges and universities also participated, and their data will be
updated as it becomes available:
California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, University of Arizona, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities,, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale University.