University of Minnesota students better understand how their school responds to sexual violence, according to a new survey, yet one in four female students still reports having been a victim of sexual assault or misconduct.
Almost 13,000 students at the Twin Cities campus took part in the 2019 Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey on sexual assault and misconduct, which first was administered in 2015.
Among key findings:
- For undergraduate females, the rate of non-consensual sexual contact — by force or inability to consent — increased to 26 percent. That’s up 2 percentage points from 2015.
- In terms of sexual harassment, 19 percent of U students say they have experienced some form since enrollment.
- A total of 38 percent of students said they experienced harassing behavior. That rate rose to nearly 50 percent for students who identified as transgender woman, transgender man, nonbinary/genderqueer, gender questioning or gender not listed.
- About 88 percent of incoming students completed sexual misconduct training, up from 40 percent in 2015.
DATA HELPS DEVELOP POLICIES
Data from the 2015 survey, as well as input from the President’s Initiative to Prevent Sexual Misconduct launched in 2017, helped officials identify issues and develop policies to address them in recent years, according to the university.
In a statement, university President Joan Gabel said she appreciated students taking part in the survey.
“Fostering a campus environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, supported, and free of harassment requires every member of our community to take responsibility for their actions and to do their part to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct,” Gabel said. “We will continue to use data, including survey results, to inform our work as we strengthen our culture together.”
LEARNING TO STEP UP
Following a series of high-profile incidents of sexual misconduct, the U in 2017 began requiring students, faculty and staff to participate in training that emphasized bystander intervention.
According to the 2019 survey, 76 percent of students who witnessed a situation they thought might lead to sexual assault said they took some kind of action, and 46 percent said they directly intervened to stop it.
The 2015 survey questions on that subject were worded differently, but students’ understanding of what to do and their willingness to take action seem to have increased.
In response to one 2015 question about seeing a drunken person headed for a sexual encounter, just 25 percent said they took action to stop it.
“Helping students understand how to intervene in an uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situation is an area we remain focused on,” said Maggie Towle, interim vice provost for student affairs and dean of students, in a statement. “The survey results indicate our work to date through education and training is having an impact. We will continue to engage student leaders from all areas of campus to enhance our approach and equip more students with these much-needed skills.”
