Talis, Janine
(2020)
Using Environmental Scans to Guide Campus Sexual Misconduct Prevention.
In: Pitt Momentum Fund 2020, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
"In the recent University AAU Climate Survey, women, TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonbinary, or otherwise gender nonconforming), Black students, students with disability, and sexual minority student respondents all reported sexual violence (SV) victimization at significantly higher rates compared to men on campus (6.6%). The prevalence of SV victimization for women on campus was 26.9% (for black undergraduate women, 26.8%), and 29% of TGQN students. Over a quarter (26%) of students with disability experienced sexual violence (undergraduate women with disability, 37.9%). Among women-identified victim respondents, alcoholuse by the perpetrator was reported by 57.3%, and 70.4% by victims. One of our NIH-funded trials (R01AA023260) on 28 college campuses in Pennsylvania and West Virginia involving nearly 2300 college students provides supporting evidence of the particular vulnerability of certain campus populations for experiencing SV, specifically women, students of color, TGQN students, students with a history of violence, and students with disabilities. About half of the students within this study (recruited through campus health centers) reported exposure to SV/IPV. Among students with disability (24% of overall study sample), two thirds had a lifetime SV experience. Further, the AAU report highlights that despite overall awareness of campus services and resources, students are not seeking services for a variety of reasons (66.5% of total women, 66.3% of men who experienced unwanted penetration). These reasons include feeling embarrassed or ashamed, thinking they could handle the situation themselves, fearing it would not remain confidential, and thinking the situation was not serious enough. Increasing uptake of services and supports is critical as students who experience SV are likely to have lower academic engagement and increased dropout, and to experience higher rates of mental and physical health challenges. In our 28 campus study (which included Pitt), we conducted detailed campus environmental scans to assess existing programs and policies related to SV, alcohol use, supports for students with disability, and supports for students who identify as sexual and gender minority. Additionally, from an evaluation of a learning collaborative to improve SV response among college campuses funded by the Office of Women’s Health (OWH), our team conducted policy scans from eight college campuses nationally. The scans cover a range of domains from prevention to response to survivors with detailed questions. An analysis of these environmental scans may help to identify promising practices and areas for improvement that may allow campus administrators, faculty, and staff at the University of Pittsburgh to assess the needs of its most vulnerable students, including developing appropriate, trauma-sensitive, and culturally responsive resources and services.
The current proposal seeks to leverage our team’s local and national data and conduct the following activities: (1) synthesize campus environmental scans from the College Health RCT and OWH collaborative to prepare for presentation; (2) conduct listening sessions with student organizations to triangulate the findings from the scans; 3) facilitate discussion sessions with University administration about findings from the College Health study and the OWH collaborative to inform changes to campus policy with special attention to student populations at elevated risk for sexual violence victimization."
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