Biannual Sexual Assault Surveys Would Inform Students, Prospective Students
Today, Representative Jeffrey Sánchez joined his colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass legislation requiring colleges and universities to conduct sexual misconduct climate surveys of all their students.
National studies estimate that one in four college women and one in sixteen college men will be the victims of an attempted or complete rape during their years at college. However, less than ten percent of victims report their rape to outside authorities, often due to fear of reprisals or to preserve their privacy. As a result of this underreporting, the true extent of this “silent epidemic” is unknown.
The House’s legislation would ensure accurate, campus-specific statistics are known, so higher education administrators can adopt evidence-based policies that protect students. The surveys provide a platform for the voice of students to be heard, and give prospective students a better understanding of the sexual misconduct climate on college campuses. The survey would be conducted every two years, so higher education institutions could evaluate how policy changes affect sexual misconduct climate.
“Our goal is to ensure that every student’s voice is heard,” Sánchez said. “Here in Boston, and especially in Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain, we have thousands of students attending local colleges and universities. With these climate surveys, institutions will have to listen to their students. The surveys create transparency so colleges and universities can be held accountable for supporting survivors and addressing the public health crisis of sexual assault on their campuses.”
Under President Barack Obama, the Department of Justice issued a report titled, “Not Alone: The First Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault.” The report says, “The first step in solving a problem is to name it and know the extent of it - and a campus climate survey is the best way to do that.”
The legislation establishes a task force to develop a model sexual misconduct climate survey that utilizes best practices from peer-reviewed research. The task force would consult with individuals known for expertise in the development and utilization of sexual misconduct climate surveys within institutions of higher education.
