scholarly journals Starting the Conversation: Are Campus Sexual Assault Policies Related to the Prevalence of Campus Sexual Assault?

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (21) ◽  
pp. 3315-3343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. DeLong ◽  
Laurie M. Graham ◽  
Erin P. Magee ◽  
Sarah Treves-Kagan ◽  
Christine L. Gray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
School Level ◽  
American Universities ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Association Of American Universities ◽  
The Impact

One goal of university campus sexual assault (CSA) policies is to help prevent CSA. Federal guidance in the 2014 White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault Checklist for Campus Sexual Misconduct Policies suggests 10 elements for inclusion in CSA policies (e.g., Policy Introduction, Grievance/Adjudication), and outlines policy topics to be included within each element (Policy Introduction includes two topics: statement of prohibition against sex discrimination including sexual misconduct and statement of commitment to address sexual misconduct). However, no research has examined whether CSA policies impact CSA prevalence. To begin addressing this gap, we studied 24 universities participating in the 2015 Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. We linked 2014-2015 data from these universities’ CSA policies and their CSA prevalence findings from the 2015 Association of American Universities (AAU) survey. To test whether the comprehensiveness of schools’ CSA policies was related to schools’ CSA prevalence, we examined the degree to which the CSA policies included recommended policy content from the aforementioned Checklist. Policies were characterized as more comprehensive if they included greater numbers of Checklist topics. We then correlated the number of topics within the policies with school-level CSA prevalence. We also explored whether there was lower CSA prevalence among schools with policies containing particular topics. Results suggested that greater comprehensiveness of schools’ entire CSA policies was negatively correlated with CSA prevalence; however, these findings did not approach statistical significance. The number of negative correlations observed between schools’ CSA policy elements and CSA prevalence among undergraduate women was greater than expected by chance alone, suggesting a possible connection between comprehensive CSA policies and CSA prevalence. Schools with policies that included a topic on their sexual assault response team had the lowest CSA prevalence for both women and men, and schools that included topics describing grievance/adjudication procedures had lower CSA prevalence. This study provides a novel examination of CSA and could inform needed research related to the impact of CSA policies on CSA.

Campus Sexual Assault Policies: A Feminist Policy Analysis Framework

Affilia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-412
Author(s):  
Molly C. Driessen
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Task Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault

The purpose of this study is to conduct a feminist-based policy analysis to examine the role of power in campus sexual assault policies. This research investigated the role of power in campus policies that are in response to addressing sexual assault using a feminist policy analysis framework. McPhail’s (2003) Feminist-Based Policy Analysis Framework was used to study the policy-setting documents authored by the United States (U.S.) Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights and White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault that was established in 2014. Together, these documents encompass the federal guidelines for college campuses’ compliance, rights, and responsibility under Title IX. The Framework provides four questions to consider when analyzing the role of power within a policy. Several strengths of the policies are identified as well as tension between the power of institutions versus the power of student survivors, specifically in mandatory reporting policies. Implications for social work research, practice, and policy are explored along with identifying the study’s limitations and future research suggestions.

Impact of the Current US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Cervical Cancer Screening in Young Women 21 to 29 Years Old

2020 ◽  
Vol 153 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Paul Morris ◽  
Sayanan Chowsilpa ◽  
Sara Mustafa ◽  
Isaac Chan ◽  
Daniel Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Cervical Cancer Screening ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Preventive Services ◽  
High Grade ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives In 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force decreased the recommended frequency of cervical cytology screening to once every 3 years and recommended against testing women younger than 21 years regardless of sexual history. We evaluated the impact of this in 21 to 29-year-old women at a tertiary care academic medical center in 2011 and 2017. Methods We retrospectively analyzed Papanicolaou test results at two time points in 21- to 29-year-old women. Results There was a decrease in the number of high-grade lesions in 21- to 25-year-old women (odds ratio [OR], 0.36) from 2011 to 2017. Within the 26- to 29-year-old patient group, there was a trend toward a higher percentage of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in 2017 compared to 2011 on cytology, which did not reach statistical significance (OR, 1.46). However, follow-up histologic specimens showed a higher percentage of HSIL in 2017 compared to 2011 in this age group (OR, 2.16). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the cervical cancer screening guidelines introduced in 2012 have not had a detrimental impact on the outcomes of cervical cancer screening for 21- to 25-year-old women. However, we need to continue monitoring the effects of decreased screening in 26- to 29-year-old women.

Contextualizing the 1990 campus security act and campus sexual assault in intersectional and historical terms

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-102
Author(s):  
Rebecca Dolinsky Graham ◽  
Amanda Konradi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Campus Crime ◽  
Sexual Assaults ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rhetorical Construction ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Lehigh University ◽  
Campus Security ◽  
Crime Legislation ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Residential college campuses remain dangerous – especially for women students who face a persistent threat of sexual violence, despite passage of the 1990 Campus Security Act and its multiple amendments. Campuses have developed new programming, yet recent research confirms one in five women will experience some form of sexual assault before graduating. Research on campus crime legislation does not describe in detail the context in which it developed. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the effects of early rhetorical frames on the ineffective policy. Design/methodology/approach The authors discuss the rhetorical construction of “campus crime,” and related “criminals” and “victims,” through content analysis and a close interpretive reading of related newspaper articles. Findings The 1986 violent rape and murder of Jeanne Clery at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania became iconic in media descriptions of campus crime. Media drew attention to the racial and classed dimensions of the attack on Clery, but elided the misogyny central to all sexual assaults. This reinforced a stereotype that “insiders” on campuses, primarily white and middle class, were most vulnerable to “outsider” attacks by persons of color. Colleges and universities adopted rhetoric of “endangerment” and “unreason” and focused on what potential victims could do to protect themselves, ignoring the role of students in perpetrating crime. Research limitations/implications This analysis does not link rhetoric in newspapers to legislative discussion. Further analysis is necessary to confirm the impact of particular claims and to understand why some claims may have superseded others. Originality/value This analysis focuses critical attention on how campus crime policy is shaped by cultural frames.

Widening the Lens: An Ecological Review of Campus Sexual Assault

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie A. Moylan ◽  
McKenzie Javorka
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Institutional Risk ◽  
Campus Services ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Campus Level

Varying prevalence rates of sexual violence across colleges and universities indicate the need to understand institutional factors underlying such variation; however, research often focuses exclusively on individual risk and protective factors, which both under theorizes and under explains the phenomenon of campus sexual assault. In this review, we propose that broadening to include campus- and contextual-level factors is necessary to fully explain campus sexual assault. Using an ecological approach, we identify and synthesize research related to campus-level variation in sexual violence, including availability of campus services and resources for survivors, institutional risk factors such as alcohol and party culture, athletics, and fraternities, and the impact of policies at the state and federal levels. Suggestions are made for conducting additional research at the campus level and implications of reframing campus sexual assault from an institutional lens are discussed, including the importance of this approach for practice, evaluation, and policy.

An Updated Review of Institutions of Higher Education’s Responses to Sexual Assault: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1983-2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara N. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Task Force ◽  
White House ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Office For Civil Rights ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
Previous Decade ◽  
Nationally Representative

It has been more than a decade since Karjane, Fisher, and Cullen reviewed a nationally representative sample of Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and documented “sexual assault on college campuses” and “what colleges are doing about it.” The current research aimed to examine the current state of IHE’s response to campus sexual assault as well as any changes in IHE’s response over the previous decade. To this end, the present study provides a comparison of data reported in Karjane et al. and 2015 data from a statistically equivalent sample ( n = 820). IHE’s utilization of policies and procedures that reflect recent guidance by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and best practices indicated by the 2014 White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault are also presented and discussed.

scholarly journals Developing an Effective Campus Sexual Assault Prevention Task Force: Lessons Learned From Multiple Midwestern Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 17S-25S
Author(s):  
Natabhona M. Mabachi ◽  
Marcy Quiason ◽  
Alesha E. Doan ◽  
Juliana Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Campus Culture ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Assault Prevention

Background/Aim. Developing a comprehensive prevention strategy requires a coordinated effort among campus stakeholders. Creating a campus sexual assault prevention task force consisting of key stakeholders is a way to ensure coordinated and sustainable prevention efforts. Understanding how to convene and maintain an effective campus prevention task force is important. However, there is little literature offering such guidance. In this article, we present the facilitators, barriers, and lessons learned from creating a campus sexual assault prevention task force in seven Midwestern postsecondary institutions. Method. Our data come from interviews with 25 key stakeholders, representing seven Midwestern postsecondary institutions. Questions focused on the perceived strengths and capacity to form a campus prevention task force, barriers, current campus knowledge, and attitudes toward sexual assault, current institutional support for prevention efforts, and current prevention programing. Results. Main barriers to developing a task force included (a) limited capacity, (b) lack of knowledge, (c) limited student engagement, and (d) bureaucratic structure. Facilitators included (a) strong interpersonal relationships, (b) a positive campus culture, and (c) preexisting programing.

Does the Presence of a Physical Disability Affect Classification of Sexual Assault?

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199795
Author(s):  
Alec Dalton ◽  
Dayna Henry ◽  
Sarah Blackstone ◽  
Julia Passuth ◽  
Haley Birchfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Physical Disability ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
The Impact

The occurrence of sexual assault is common and problematic, especially among those with disabilities. While many other characteristics of the victim, perpetrator, and situation involving a sexual assault have been shown to affect perceptions, only one study has examined the impact of a hypothetical victim with a physical disability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effect that a victim and/or perpetrator’s physical disability status has on individuals’ classification of encounters as sexual assault. University students over the age of 18 ( n = 207) completed an anonymous online survey which included reading an ambiguous scenario involving a sexual assault in which either the victim, perpetrator or neither was in a wheelchair. Participants classified the scenario as either representing a sexual assault or not and completed the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance scale and demographic information. A binary logistic regression model was conducted to examine the effects of conditions, participant gender and RMA score on sexual assault classification. In the scenario with the victim in a wheelchair, 71.6% of participants agreed sexual assault occurred; when the perpetrator was in a wheelchair 58.6% classified the scenario as sexual assault. In the control condition 61.4% agreed sexual assault occurred. Condition was not associated with classification at a statistically significant level; however, the effect sizes indicate participants were more likely to classify sexual assault when the victim was in a wheelchair (OR = 1.41), but less likely to blame a perpetrator in a wheelchair (OR = 0.69) compared to the control condition. Despite a lack of statistical significance, the data show a clear trend away from blaming individuals with disabilities in sexual assault scenarios. These findings can have implications within the legal system where incorrect decisions may be made due to bias based on disability status.

Behind closed doors: university employees as stakeholders in campus sexual violence

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 290-304
Author(s):  
Marina Rosenthal ◽  
Carly P. Smith ◽  
Jennifer J. Freyd
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
University Employees ◽  
Ongoing Relationship ◽  
Sexual Assault Case ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine employees’ experiences of institutional betrayal after a campus sexual assault. Design/methodology/approach University employees completed online measures evaluating various attitudes toward the university. Findings The majority of participants reported institutional betrayal in the university’s response to the case. Employees who reported institutional betrayal indicated significantly lower attachment to the university than employees who reported no institutional betrayal. Institutional betrayal mediated the relationship between institutional attachment and institutional forgiveness. Social implications Universities’ failure to respond effectively and promptly to sexual violence does not go unnoticed by employees. Institutional actions after sexual assault have the power to damage employees’ attachment to the university – employees who experienced institutional betrayal were less attached, and ultimately less forgiving of the institution. Universities’ poor prevention and response efforts impact their entire campus community and compromise community members’ ongoing relationship with the school. Originality/value College students’ active resistance to sexual violence on campus is featured prominently on the pages of major news outlets. Yet, less featured in research and media is the impact of campus sexual assault on university employees, particularly after sexual assault cases are mishandled. This study offers perspective on employees’ experiences and reactions after a prominent sexual assault case.

“She Wasn’t Resisting”: Students’ Barriers to Prosocial Intervention as Bystanders to Sexual Assault Risk Situations

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill C. Hoxmeier ◽  
Julia O’Connor ◽  
Sarah McMahon
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
Web Based ◽  
White House ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Responses ◽  
Assault Prevention

The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault recommends bystander training as part of campus sexual assault prevention efforts. The current study sought to understand salient themes among students’ qualitative responses for why they did not intervene in sexual assault risk situations. In 2014, undergraduate students ( N = 9,358) at a large public university completed a web-based survey to assess bystander opportunities and responses for six risk situations. Content coding analysis indicated that students report several unique barriers to intervention. These findings have important implications for bystander training programs, as well as future research on bystander behavior.

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