This spring, students at Case Western Reserve will have the opportunity to participate in a sexual assault climate survey being administered at more than two dozen of the country’s top universities. Developed by a highly regarded national research company, the survey will be distributed to about 800,000 students at the institutions, all but one of which are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU).
“By taking part in this national effort,” Vice President for Student Affairs Lou Stark said, “we gain the benefit of seeing how our results compare to those at colleges and universities very much like ours—that is, those that are well-known for academic excellence in both teaching and research.”
The survey emerges amid a new level of interest, awareness and advocacy involving sexual misconduct. In this context, members of Congress have pressed for a mandatory federal survey, while the White House has argued the measures are essential for institutions to get a more accurate sense of the issue on their individual campuses.
Westat, a global company headquartered in Rockville, Md., is developing the survey in collaboration with university experts on sexual assault and misconduct. While the survey questions will be common throughout all of the institutions, universities include the specific names of various offices and departments on their campuses.
Jean Gubbins, director of institutional research for Case Western Reserve, is coordinating with Westat and the AAU regarding the survey. In addition, she is working closely with the university’s Institutional Review Board to ensure that its questions and other related information comply fully with campus policies designed to protect participants.
The online survey is entirely voluntary and confidential. As part of its work with the AAU, Westat has included technological safeguards to ensure that no student who submits a survey can be identified.
During the time that the survey is open for completion, Westat will provide a telephone “Help Desk” to provide both technological help and advice regarding campus and community resources for those who find that the questions prompt them to seek assistance. In addition, the survey itself will list Case Western Reserve-specific offices and contact information for issues related to sexual misconduct.
“As important as it is to get an overall sense of students’ perspectives,” Stark said, “it is even more critical that we provide those who want help the support they need, when they need it.”
In early April, students at participating universities will receive an email with a link to their school’s customized versions of the surveys. All of those enrolled on campus—undergraduate, graduate and professional—will be asked to participate. In the meantime, however, Stark wants to make sure students know the survey is coming, and its purpose. Stark’s department heads will meet with their staffs and various student groups to answer questions and emphasize the availability of resources before, during or after the surveys.
The surveys will take 20 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on whether some responses prompt additional questions. If students indicate they have been victims of assault or other crimes, for example, the survey will request additional details about the incident and how the university responded.
During the 2013-2014 year, Case Western Reserve was among hundreds of higher education institutions nationwide responding to guidance from the U.S. Department of Education regarding the rules and procedures detailed within their polices on sexual assault and sexual harassment.
Last spring, meanwhile, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, issued a report, “Not Alone,” which urged colleges and universities to be more transparent regarding the number of incidents on their campus and to enforce policies more effectively. In addition, members of Congress have pressed to mandate climate surveys and dramatically increase the number of federal investigators charged to assess how well colleges and universities comply with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender by any educational program that receives federal dollars. Under its terms, sexual harassment, assault and rape all constitute discrimination, and colleges and universities can be found in violation of Title IX based on its handling of cases involving such allegations.
The AAU leadership elected to launch its own survey effort to give member institutions the chance to get meaningful information about their own campuses—and also be able to review their results in a national context.
“Our primary purpose in conducting this survey is to help our institutions gain a better understanding of this complex problem on their own campuses as well as nationally,” said AAU President Hunter Rawlings. “Our first priority, and theirs, is to ensure that students not only are safe but feel safe. Universities will be using their data to inform their own policies and practices regarding sexual assault.”
The AAU is expected to report the surveys’ aggregate findings to the public by the fall, and Westat will provide colleges and universities their individual institutional data at about the same time. Dartmouth College, a member of another higher education group whose members could participate in the survey, is the one non-AAU member to participate.
In addition to Case Western Reserve, the other participating AAU institutions are:
- Brown University,
- California Institute of Technology,
- Columbia University,
- Cornell University,
- Harvard University,
- Iowa State University,
- Michigan State University,
- The Ohio State University,
- Purdue University,
- Texas A&M University,
- University of Arizona,
- University of Colorado–Boulder,
- University of Florida,
- University of Michigan,
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities,
- University of Missouri–Columbia,
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
- University of Oregon,
- University of Pennsylvania,
- University of Pittsburgh,
- University of Southern California,
- University of Texas at Austin,
- University of Virginia,
- University of Wisconsin–Madison,
- Washington University in St. Louis and
- Yale University.