Sexual Assault Resource Team (SART) Campus Climate‐Sexual Assault Survey As part of a larger campus‐wide effort to raise awareness of the nature of sexual assault and how to respond to and reduce the problem, The University of Akron’s Sexual Assault Resource Team (SART) conducted an all‐
campus survey during the spring 2015 semester. The survey gathered essential information from students, faculty and staff that will inform and guide SART and the campus administration in the further development of policies, practices and procedures related to the University’s efforts to reduce sexual assault, sexual harassment and intimate partner violence. The content of the survey was largely based on feedback from the SART membership, including faculty, staff, students, administration, and external collaborators. In addition, the federal resources provided by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault were utilized in the development of questions and establishment of measures to best assess perceptions and perspectives of sexual assault and campus climate (https://www.notalone.gov/assets/ovw‐climate‐survey.pdf). SART determined that it was important to survey the entire campus community – students, faculty and staff – rather than just the student population, as has been the case in other surveys conducted elsewhere. The goal for this survey was to measure the experiences of survey respondents and to assess the attitudes and beliefs of UA students, faculty and staff regarding sexual assault, sexual harassment and intimate partner violence. This preliminary report is intended to provide initial feedback to the University community. It was developed by the SART Assessment Team, which was formed to develop and disseminate the survey and analyze the findings. The analysis of the data continues; additional findings will be released as they become available. In addition to providing insight to how survey respondents have experienced and feel about sexual assault, sexual harassment and intimate partner violence, it is our hope that this report will spark additional dialogue, provoke new questions and allow for a robust cycle of assessment to continue at UA. Detailed information about the survey and the survey procedures is available on the Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) Team website. Information available includes UA President Dr. Scott Scarborough’s encouragement to the campus community to participate in the survey, this report, and the survey instrument. An addendum to this report will also be released very soon. It will include the responses to each question in the simplest descriptive format possible. Because this is the first campus climate survey of this type at The University of Akron, the results will provide a baseline to better understand these perceptions and perspectives. The results will be utilized to monitor the frequency of sexual assault, and how perceptions and attitudes evolve over time. The campus climate‐sexual assault survey also demonstrates The University of Akron’s commitment to addressing the problem of sexual assault and ensuring the safety of all members of the campus community. Administration of Survey The 2015 campus climate‐sexual assault survey was sponsored by the Office of the President, The Sexual Assault Resource Team, and the Division of Student Success. The campus climate‐sexual assault survey was reviewed by SART, and the Institutional Review Board, and then administered from March 2, 2015 to April 3, 2015. All members of The University of Akron community were invited to participate, including students, staff, faculty, and administration on the main campus, the Medina County University Center, Wayne College and UA Lakewood. The survey was administered exclusively online, and a series of reminder e‐mails were provided during the survey. The survey was designed as an anonymous tool, with no linkage between the respondents and their e‐mail or IP addresses to gather the most direct feedback possible from the campus community. A total of 3,340 surveys were completed. The survey generally required 10 to 20 minutes to complete. Because the survey did address some sensitive issues, a list of links for community and campus resources related to safety and sexual assault was provided at the end of the survey. In addition, a link was provided that explained the guidelines for reporting sexual misconduct and sexual assault. As an incentive to participate, 15 individuals who completed the survey were randomly chosen to receive a $50 gift card. The option to be considered in the random drawing for the gift cards was a separate link from the survey, and the names and contact information for the drawing were never linked to the survey responses. Explicit Language The online survey used explicit language to describe body parts and sexual behaviors and also asked respondents about their personal experience with sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence. This report uses the same explicit language. University support and resources are available for all members of the University of Akron community and specifically for those who may be sensitive to this content. Information on campus support and resources is available at www.uakron.edu/title‐ix/resources. Limitations of the SART Campus Climate‐Sexual Assault Survey The SART campus climate‐sexual assault survey was designed as an anonymous tool that allowed participants to decide if they wanted to participate. This intentional design was utilized by the SART Assessment Team to include as many students, faculty and staff as possible and to encourage participation by those who may have been hesitant to disclose their personal beliefs or experiences. This survey design strategy, however, also limits the ability to generalize the findings to a broader audience. The survey team discourages comparisons between the findings of this survey and those of surveys conducted by other universities. While the findings here and elsewhere are valid, the survey instruments differ in substantive ways, making comparisons speculative at best. Of significance, the UA survey sought participation from the entire campus community – students, faculty and staff – not just students, as is the case in other surveys. In addition to the limitations above, this list outlines additional possible limitations to this campus climate‐sexual assault survey: Page 2 
Length of survey— the length may have led to the number of partial completions 
Inability to come back to a started survey to pick up and complete the remaining items— this may have led to the number of partial completions 
Non‐serious responses to some items— these responses raise questions about whether some data are valid, but the decision was made not to assume lack of validity to the overall survey and not to discard completed respondents’ data 
Awkward wording on some items for employee respondents— items were written for the student experience and this may have been confusing to employee respondents 
Some numbers for some subgroups— they could not be broken out and compared due to small numbers (e.g., transgender) 
Statistical power— the large sample size obtained in the survey meant that when comparing groups with analysis of variance or multivariate analysis of variance there are many statistically significant findings with very small effect sizes Page 3 Executive Summary This past March the University of Akron students, faculty and staff were asked to complete the SART campus climate‐sexual assault survey. The findings warrant the attention and concern of all members of The University of Akron community. A comprehensive summary of the report follows this executive summary. This summary offers three content areas of highlighted importance and a short list of areas that merit additional attention in the future. The following are among the most important points to emerge from the SART Assessment Committee’s initial review of the data: 
The incidence of non‐consensual sexual contact by force or incapacitation affecting University of Akron students is unacceptable and requires concerted action from the Akron community. Of the students, faculty and staff who completed the survey 8.1% reported non‐consensual sexual contact. The rate of incidents of non‐consensual sexual contact at The University of Akron requires additional review and study to verify results and better understand these findings. 
The University of Akron must better engender a culture in which Akron students intervene to prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment. Student respondents to the SART campus climate‐sexual assault survey identified high confidence in their own ability to intervene on behalf of a fellow student as illustrated in the bystander confidence figure below. The respondents expressed noticeably less confidence in their fellow students’ willingness to confront and report concerning behaviors as illustrated in the willingness to report figure below. Together these findings suggest additional bystander intervention training would be helpful to provide students the opportunity to explore the contextual nature of intervening on behalf of a fellow student in a variety of scenarios. 
Men and women in The University of Akron student body hold different perceptions of sexual assault. Female students disagreed more strongly with false statements and sexual assault myths than did male students. For example, women disagreed more strongly with the statement “When women go to parties wearing revealing clothes they are asking for trouble.” This observation suggests the need to better engage male students in education and outreach programs and initiatives. Page 4 Additional areas worthy of continued exploration include: 
Experiences of the LGBTQ community related to sexual assault. 
The role of alcohol in creating additional risk of sexual assault. 
Student body awareness of resources available for victims of sexual assault and protocols for addressing sexual assault. 
Survivors’ experiences and ways to facilitate their increased reporting of sexual assault. 
How the perceptions of the University climate change over time. 
The prevalence of intimate partner violence within relationships. Page 5 Who Responded An invitation to participate in the sexual assault survey was sent to all members of The University of Akron community. The total possible respondents included 27,363 and 3,340 completed the survey ‐‐ a response rate of 12.1%. The table below outlines the variations in response rates between undergraduate and post‐
baccalaureate students, graduate students, and the faculty/staff group. Subgroup Undergraduate and post‐ baccalaureate student Graduate and law student Faculty, staff and administration Grand total * ** Number Number in Gender * responding population ** Response rate ** Female Male Other Total 1,428
846
26
2,300
9,505
10,284
15.0%
8.2%
19,789
11.6%
Female Male Other Total 318
218
10
546
2,295
1,863
13.9%
11.7%
4,158
13.1%
Female Male Other Total 288
187
3
478
3,324
1,700
1,716
16.9%
10.9%
3,416
27,363
14.0%
12.1%
For the purpose of calculating response rates, students, faculty and staff in the population column were categorized by their gender as identified in University records. The survey was first administered on March 2, 2015 and closed on April 3, 2015. Because it is likely that during that time the size of the population fluctuated the “Number in population” and “Response rate” columns should be consider estimates. Survey respondents were also asked to self‐identify by gender. The following table breaks out the responses: Gender response Female Male Transgender Female Transgender Male Genderqueer/Gender‐Nonconforming Other Grand total Number Percentage responding of responses 2,039 61.0%
1,252 37.5%
3 ≤1.0%
5 ≤1.0%
20 ≤1.0%
11 ≤1.0%
3340 100%
All demographic information gathered in the survey will be presented in the addendum to this report. To briefly summarize the findings:  Race/Ethnicity ‐ The participants identified as 81.0% Caucasian, 7.9% African American, 5.9% Asian, and 2.1% Hispanic/Latino.  Sexual Orientation – The majority of the sample identified as heterosexual (86.9%), with 4.9% bisexual, 2.0% gay, and 1.5% lesbian. Page 6 
Current Status ‐ A wide range of individuals participated in the survey, from freshmen through faculty, staff, and administration. The largest group was freshmen, who made up 20% of the sample. Page 7 Incidences of Sexual Violence This section of the survey asked about nonconsensual or unwanted sexual contact experienced by survey participants. The person with whom they had the unwanted sexual contact could have been a stranger or someone they knew, such as a family member or someone with whom they went out with or were dating. These questions asked about five types of unwanted sexual contact: a. Forced touching of a sexual nature (forced kissing, touching of private parts, grabbing, fondling, rubbing up against you in a sexual way, even if it is over your clothes). b. Oral sex (someone’s mouth or tongue making contact with your genitals or your mouth or tongue making contact with someone else’s genitals). c. Sexual intercourse (someone’s penis being put in a vagina). d. Anal sex (someone’s penis being put in an anus). e. Sexual penetration with a finger or object (someone putting their finger or an object like a bottle or a candle in your vagina or anus). A total of 271 respondents (8.1% of survey respondents) replied yes to either one or the other of the following two questions: 

Has anyone had sexual contact with you by using physical force or threatening to physically harm you? While employed or enrolled at The University of Akron over the past two years, has someone had sexual contact with you when you were unable to provide consent or stop what was happening because you were passed out, drunk, incapacitated, or asleep? The specific language chosen in these two questions require that any additional analysis must be completed independently. A total of 201 respondents replied yes to the following question: 15. Has anyone had sexual contact with you by using physical force or threatening to physically harm you? The table below reflects the prevalence of sexual contact when the perpetrator used physical force or threatened physical harm within sub‐population groups. (Note: This question was not time‐specific, meaning that the contact could have occurred at any time in the past, not just at UA.) Page 8 Subgroup Undergraduate and post‐baccalaureate student Graduate and law student Faculty, staff and administration Total Gender Female Incidents of sexual contact without consent
145
Male Other Total Female Male Other Total 12
2
159
Female Male Other Total Responding subpopulation 1,428 Rate of sexual contact without consent among respondents
10.2%
28
3
2
33
846 26 2,300 318 218 10 546 1.4%
7.7%
6.9%
8.8%
1.4%
20.0%
6.0%
9
0
0
9
201
288 187 3 478 3,324 3.1%
0%
0%
1.9%
6.0%
A total of 112 respondents replied yes to the following question: 17. While employed or enrolled at The University of Akron over the past two years, has someone had sexual contact with you when you were unable to provide consent or stop what was happening because you were passed out, drunk, incapacitated, or asleep? This question asks about incidents that you are certain happened. The table below reflects the prevalence of sexual contact when the responder was incapacitated within sub‐
population groups. Page 9 Subgroup Undergraduate and post‐baccalaureate student Graduate and law student Faculty, staff and administration Total Gender
Female Incidents of sexual contact without consent
86
Male Other Total 13
2
101
Female Male Other Total Female Male Other Total Responding subpopulation 1,428 Rate of sexual contact without consent among respondents
6.0%
6
5
0
11
846 26 2,300 318 218 10 546 1.5%
7.7%
4.4%
1.9%
2.3%
0%
2.0%
0
0
0
0
112
288 187 3 478 3,324 0%
0%
0%
0%
3.4%
The table below reflects what form of sexual contact respondents identified. It is important to note that survey respondents may have encountered more than one behavior identified below during one incident so the total number of behaviors reported exceeds the number of respondents who identified having sexual contact without their consent. Number of Survey Respondents Forced touching of a sexual nature Oral sex Sexual intercourse Anal sex Sexual penetration with a finger or object
Female
2039
133
(6.5%)
19
(<1.0%)
72
(3.5%)
12
(≤1.0%) 47
(2.3%)
Male 1252 9 (<1.0%) 4 (≤1.0%) 3 (≤1.0%) 2 (≤1.0%) 0 (0%) Other
39
3
(7.7%)
1
(2.6%)
2
(5.1%)
1
(2.6%)
1
(2.6%)
When asked how many times the forced sexual contact occurred, the most common response from the 201 persons who answered yes to question 15 was once (94 participants) or twice (35 participants). A significantly smaller number indicated other incidence frequencies, such as “several,” “multiple times, “or “too many.” In terms of location of the incident, most off‐campus incidences occurred at the respondent’s home or the home of the perpetrator. Some participants simply provided the geographic location, such as Akron, Canton, or Medina. With regard to on‐campus locations, 172 of the 201 who answered yes to question 15 did not specify an on‐campus location. For those who did, most on‐campus incidences occurred in “residence halls” or “dorms” (13) or various other locations. Page 10 The 201 respondents were asked who they told about the incident. Respondents were asked to check all categories that applied. There were a wide range of responses, including: 






close friend other than roommate (82); no one (47); romantic partner (other than the one who did this to you) (39); parent or guardian (30); police (22); roommate (21); other family member (21); 





counselor (21); health provider (nurse, doctor) (11) faculty or staff (9); campus sexual assault staff member (5); residence hall staff (1); other (9). For “other,” there was not a specific pattern to the responses, but two participants did list clergy. For the 47 individuals who did not tell anyone about the incident, a follow up question was asked to determine why they did not discuss the incident. Respondents were asked to indicate all reasons that applied to them. The results included: 












this is a private matter‐wanted to deal with it on my own (38); ashamed/embarrassed (36); wanted to forget it happened (26); I thought I would be blamed for what happened (26); fear of not being believed (24); didn’t think what happened was serious enough to talk about (21); didn’t think others would think it was serious (20); fear of retribution from the person who did it (19); didn’t want others to worry about me (18); didn’t think others would understand (17); concerned others would find out (16); I feared others would harass me or react negatively towards me (15); I thought nothing would be done (15); 









I did not realize the incident was sexual violence at the time (15). didn’t want the person who did it to get in trouble (15); had other things I needed to focus on and was concerned about (classes, work) (14); didn’t think others would think it was important (14); didn’t have time to deal with it due to academics, work, etc. (13); would feel like an admission of failure (13); feared I or another would be punished for infractions or violations (such as underage drinking) (9); didn’t know reporting procedure on campus (8); thought people would try to tell me what to do (4); I did not feel the campus leadership would solve my problems (3); Page 11 Beliefs and Attitudes The survey contained eight separate multi‐item scales. This report highlights the results of these eight separate scales: 







Overall Perceptions of Climate: General Perceptions of UA Overall Perceptions of Climate: Perceptions of UA Safety Policies and Procedures Perceptions of Leadership, Policies and Reporting: Perceptions of UA Responses to Sexual Assault Readiness to Help: Perceptions of Sexual Violence at UA (personal engagement) Bystander Intervention: Confidence Bystander Intervention: Respondents’ Willingness to Report Sexual Violence Bystander Intervention: Likeliness to Engage in Sexual Violence Prevention Behaviors Perceptions of Sexual Assault: Sexual Assault Myths There is a single mean score for each of these multi‐item scales presented in this report. The complete responses including the data for each multi‐item scale question are contained in the addendum to this report. There was one scale, Likeliness to Engage in Sexual Violence Prevention Behaviors, for which a single factor analysis was successfully completed but because of the descriptive nature of the individual items the SART has chosen to report on the individual items in this report. Page 12
Overall Perceptions of Climate The following survey items were identified as the eighth question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as general perceptions of UA: 8. Please indicate your level of agreement to the following statements about The University of Akron: I feel valued in the classroom/learning environment.
Faculty, staff, and administrators respect what students on this campus think. I think faculty are genuinely concerned about student welfare.
I think administrators are genuinely concerned about student welfare.
I feel like I am a part of this college/university.
I am happy to be at this college/university.
The faculty, staff, and administrators at this school treat students fairly. I feel safe on this campus. Strongly
Agree 1
1
Strongly
Agree Disagree Disagree 2 3 4
2 3 4
1
1
1
1
1
2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4
4
4
4
4
1
2 3 4
The cumulative mean score for all survey respondents on this scale was 1.93. Cumulative mean scores for underclassmen, upper classmen, graduate and professional students and employees were broken out in the analysis and are identified below: Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post‐Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean N
1.88 2.00 1.89 1.88 1.93 1120 1149 542 472 3283 Freshman and sophomore students had a slightly more positive general perceptions of UA. Juniors, seniors and post‐baccalaureate students reported slightly less positive general perceptions of UA. The chart below illustrates the frequency of mean scale responses to the general perceptions of UA scale. Page 13
Page 14
The following survey items were identified as the ninth question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as perceptions of UA safety policies and procedures: 9. Please indicate your level of agreement to the following statements about The University of Akron: The university officials (administrators, public safety officers) should do more to protect students from harm. If a crisis happened at the university, the university would handle it. The university responds too slowly in difficult situations.
The university officials handle incidents in a fair and responsible manner. The university does enough to protect the safety of students.
There is a good support system on campus for students going through difficult times. Strongly Agree 1
Agree Disagree 2 3 Strongly Disagree 4
1
2 3 4
1
1
2 2 3 3 4
4
1
1
2 2 3 3 4
4
The cumulative mean score for all survey respondents on this question was 2.24 (negatively worded items were reverse scored). Cumulative mean scores for each of the groups are identified below: Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean 2.19 2.27 2.25 2.27 2.24 N
1121
1148
541
471
3158
Freshman and sophomore students reported slightly more positive perceptions of safety at UA. The chart below illustrates the frequency of mean scale responses to the perceptions of UA safety policies and procedures scale. Page 15
Page 16
Perceptions of Leadership, Policies and Reporting The following survey items were identified as the tenth question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as perceptions of UA responses to sexual assault: 10. If someone were to report a sexual assault to a campus authority, how likely is it that: The university would take the report seriously
The university would keep knowledge of the report limited to those who need to know in order for the university to respond properly. The university would forward the report outside the campus to criminal investigators. The university would take steps to protect the safety of the person making the report. The university would support the person making the report.
The university would take corrective action to address factors that may have led to the sexual assault. The university would take corrective action against the offender. The university would take steps to protect the person making the report from retaliation. Students would label the person making the report a troublemaker. Students would support the person making the report.
The alleged offender(s) or their associates would retaliate against the person making the report. The educational achievement/career of the person making the report would suffer. Very Likely 1
1
Moderately Likely 2 2 Slightly Likely 3 3 Not at all Likely 4
4
1
2 3 4
1
2 3 4
1
1
2 2 3 3 4
4
1
2 3 4
1
2 3 4
1
2 3 4
1
1
2 2 3 3 4
4
1
2 3 4
The cumulative mean score for all survey respondents on this scale was 2.06 (negatively worded items were reverse scored). Cumulative mean scores for each of the groups are identified below: Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean 1.97 2.14 2.08 2.06 2.06 N
1120
1145
533
464
3262
Freshman and sophomore students reported slightly more confidence in the UA response to sexual assault. The chart below illustrates the frequency of mean scale responses to the response to sexual violence at UA scale. Page 17
Page 18
Readiness to Help The following survey items were identified as the thirty‐sixth question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as perceptions of sexual violence at UA: 36. Please read the following statements and indicate the number that best describes how true each statement is for you: Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree
/Not at all /Very much
true true I don’t think sexual violence is a problem on this campus.
1
2 3 4
5
I don’t think there is much I can do about sexual violence on campus.
1
2 3 4
5
There isn’t much need for me to think about sexual violence on campus. 1
2 3 4
5
I have recently attended a program about sexual violence.
1
2 3 4
5
The cumulative mean score for all survey respondents on this scale was 2.44 (the last item was reverse scored). Cumulative mean scores for each of the groups are identified below: Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean N
2.52 2.37 2.45 2.38 2.44 1115 1146 532 470 3263 Freshman and sophomores expressed less concern regarding sexual violence and less need to be involved in sexual violence prevention at UA. The chart below illustrates the frequency of mean scale responses to the perceptions of sexual violence at UA scale. Page 19
Page 20
Bystander Intervention The following survey items were identified as the thirty‐seventh question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as Bystander Confidence at UA: 37. Please read each of the following behaviors. Please indicate how confident you are that you could do them. Can’t Do Express my discomfort if someone says that rape victims are 1
to blame for being raped. Call for help (i.e. call 911) if I hear someone in my dorm 1
yelling “help”. Get help and resources for a friend who tells me they have 1
been raped. Able to ask a stranger who looks very upset at a party if 1
they are ok or need help. Criticize a friend who tells me that they had sex with 1
someone who was passed out or who didn’t give consent. Tell an RA or other campus authority about information I 1
have that might help in a sexual assault case even if pressured by my peers to stay silent. Quite Uncertain 2
Moderately Certain 3 Very Certain 4
2
3 4
2
3 4
2
3 4
2
3 4
2
3 4
The cumulative mean score for all survey respondents on this scale was 3.51. Cumulative mean scores for each of the groups are identified below: Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean 3.44 3.48 3.51 3.71 3.51 N
1106
1141
526
467
3240
All groups reflected strong confidence when intervening but employees expressed slightly more confidence than the other groups. The chart below illustrates the frequency of mean scale responses to the bystander confidence at UA scale. Page 21
Page 22
The following survey items were identified as the thirty‐eighth question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as students’ willingness to report sexual violence: 38. For the next few questions, based on behavior you have observed, how likely are students willing to: Confront other students who make inappropriate or negative sexual comments and gestures? Report other students who continue to engage in sexual harassing or unwanted sexual behaviors after having been previously confronted? Report other students who use force or pressure to engage in sexual contact? Allow personal loyalties to affect reporting of sexual assault?
Choose not to report sexual assault out of concern they or others will be punished for infractions, such as underage drinking? Be interviewed as or serve as a witness in a sexual assault case if they knew relevant information? Very Likely 1
Moderately Somewhat Not Likely Likely at All 2 3
4
1
2 3
4
1
2 3
4
1
1
2 2 3
3
4
4
1
2 3
4
The cumulative mean score for all survey respondents on this scale was 2.45 (negatively worded items were reverse scored). Cumulative mean scores for each of the groups are identified below: Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean 2.43 2.46 2.43 2.49 2.45 N
1107
1125
505
434
3171
No statistically significant group differences were identified. The chart below illustrates the frequency of mean scale responses to the students’ willingness to report sexual violence scale. Page 23
Page 24
Bystander Intervention: Likeliness to Engage in Sexual Violence Prevention Behaviors The following survey items were identified as the thirty‐ninth question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as likeliness to engage in sexual violence prevention behaviors: 39. Please indicate how likely you are to engage in each of the following behaviors using this scale: Ask for verbal consent, even if I am intimate with my partner, even if we are in a long term relationship. Stop sexual activity when asked to, even if I am already sexually aroused. Check in with my friend who looks drunk when they go to a room with someone else at a party. Say something to my friend who is taking a drunk person back to their room at a party. Challenge a friend who made a sexist joke.
Express my concern if a family member makes a sexist joke.
Challenge a friend who uses insulting words to describe people.
Confront a friend who plans to give someone alcohol to get sex.
Refuse to participate in activities where physical appearances are ranked/rated. Confront a friend who is hooking up with someone who passed out. Confront a friend if I hear rumors that they forced sex on someone. Report a friend who committed a rape.
Stop having sex with a partner if they say to stop, even if it started consensually. Decide not to have sex with a partner if they are drunk.
Not Likely 1
2
3 4 Extremely Likely 6
5
1
2
3 4 5
6
1
2
3 4 5
6
1
2
3 4 5
6
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
1
2
3 4 5
6
1
2
3 4 5
6
1
1
2
2
3 3 4 4 5
5
6
6
1
2
3 4 5
6
As noted earlier, these items were analyzed separately due to the descriptive information they provide. Small differences were noted among groups for many of the individual items. Freshman and sophomores generally reported lower likelihood and employees generally reported higher likelihood of engaging in the various behaviors. It is worth noting that one behavior, stopping sexual activity if one’s partner states a desire to stop, was equally endorsed by all groups and the scores were distributed at the very top of the 6 point scale ranging between 5.71 and 5.79. Ask for verbal consent, even if I am intimate with my partner, even if we are in a long term relationship. Mean 5.04 4.72 4.55 4.60 4.79 N
1071 1101 486 375 3033 Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Page 25
Stop sexual activity when asked to, even if I am already sexually aroused. – No Statistically Significant Group Differences Check in with my friend who looks drunk when they go to a room with someone else at a party. Say something to my friend who is taking a drunk person back to their room at a party. Challenge a friend who made a sexist joke. Express my concern if a family member makes a sexist joke. Challenge a friend who uses insulting words to describe people. Confront a friend who plans to give someone alcohol to get sex. – No Statistically Significant Group Differences Refuse to participate in activities where physical appearances are ranked/rated. Confront a friend who is hooking up with someone who passed out. – No Statistically Significant Group Differences Mean 5.61 5.63 5.66 5.74 5.64 5.32 5.21 5.20 5.33 5.26 5.26 5.12 5.13 5.29 5.19 4.08 4.13 4.37 4.51 4.20 4.16 4.15 4.43 4.55 4.25 4.44 4.46 4.73 4.88 4.55 5.35 5.34 5.36 5.50 5.37 4.84 4.76 4.90 5.14 4.86 5.54 5.57 5.53 5.61 5.56 N 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101
486 375 3033 Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate
Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Page 26
Confront a friend if I hear rumors that they forced sex on someone. – No Statistically Significant Group Differences Report a friend who committed a rape. Stop having sex with a partner if they say to stop, even if it started consensually. – No Statistically Significant Group Differences Decide not to have sex with a partner if they are drunk. Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean 5.41 5.40 5.35 5.37 5.39 5.32 5.39 5.45 5.59 5.40 5.72 5.71 5.71 5.79 5.72 5.33 5.12 5.11 5.43 5.23 N 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 1071 1101 486 375 3033 Page 27
Sexual Assault Perceptions and Sexual Assault Myths The following survey items were identified as the forty‐fourth question on the survey and constitute the scale identified in the report as sexual assault perception and sexual assault myths: 44. Please read each of the following statements and indicate how true each is for you: If a woman is raped while she is drunk, she is at least somewhat responsible for what happened. When women go to parties wearing revealing clothes, they are asking for trouble. If a woman hooks up with a lot of men, eventually she is going to get into trouble. When men rape, it is usually because of their strong desire for sex. Men don’t usually intend to force sex on a woman, but sometimes they get too sexually carried away. If both people are drunk, it can’t be rape.
If a woman doesn’t physically resist sex‐even if protesting verbally‐it really can’t be considered rape. If a woman doesn’t physically fight back, you can’t really say it was rape. A lot of times, women who say they were raped agreed to have sex and then regret it. If the accused “rapist” doesn’t have a weapon, you really can’t call it rape. If a woman doesn’t say “No”, she can’t claim rape.
Strongly Disagree 1
2 3 4
Strongly Agree 5
1
2 3 4
5
1
2 3 4
5
1
2 3 4
5
1
2 3 4
5
1
1
2 2 3 3 4
4
5
5
1
2 3 4
5
1
2 3 4
5
1
2 3 4
5
1
2 3 4
5
The cumulative mean score for all survey respondents on this scale was 1.80. Cumulative mean scores for each of the groups are identified below: Freshman and Sophomore Junior, Senior and Post Baccalaureate Graduate and Law Students Employees Total Mean 1.89 1.80 1.76 1.65 1.80 N
1108
1136
519
456
3219
All groups disagreed with sexual assault myths. UA employees disagreed most strongly and freshman and sophomore students disagreed least strongly. The chart below illustrates the frequency of mean scale responses to the perceptions of sexual assault and sexual assault myths scale. Page 28
Page 29
Physical Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) The final section of the survey asked questions about relationship and dating experiences. The preface stated “No matter how well a couple gets along, there are times when they disagree, get annoyed with the other person, want different things from each other, or just have spats or fights because they are in a bad mood, are tired, or for some other reason. Couples also have many different ways of trying to settle their differences. This is a list of things that might happen when you have differences.” There were 529 responses that indicated experience with some form of intimate partner violence. For individuals who indicated they had experienced physical violence in their relationships and dating experiences, the following questions were posed about the incident they considered to be the most serious incident of intimate partner violence over the past two years. 46. How frightened were you by the incident? Extremely Somewhat Only a little Not at all Total Frequency 83
130
97
219
529
Percent
15.7%
24.6%
18.3%
41.4%
100.0%
Frequency 71
115
97
242
525
Percent
13.5%
21.9%
18.5%
46.1%
100.0%
Frequency 27
498
525
Percent
5.1%
94.9%
100.0%
Frequency 45
483
528
Percent
47. How concerned were you about your safety? Extremely Somewhat Only a little Not at all Total 48. Did you seek services or contact a hotline after the incident? Yes No Total 49. Were you injured in the incident? Yes No Total 8.5%
91.5%
100.0%
50. If you were injured in the incident, did you seek medical attention? Yes No Total Percent
24.4 75.6 100.0% Frequency 11 34 45 Page 30
Sexual Assault Resource Team (SART) / Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) Team Incidents of sexual assault, sexual violence, and all forms of sexual harassment and discrimination are all too common on college and university campuses. So too are conjecture, misunderstanding and distrust in matters of sexual conduct, misconduct and response. The members of SART clearly understand that all of these things make it difficult for survivors of sexual violence to come forward and receive the help and assistance they are provided by the laws of this country and required by our collective respect for them as individual people. The members of the SART respectfully ask the University community to join in the work outlined in the mission below. Also to better distinguish our role, we request the University now recognize our team as the Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) Team, which we feel more clearly articulates our purpose than the acronym SART. Mission: To support an environment that promotes respect, understanding and appreciation, the Sexual Assault Violence Education (SAVE) Team members are faculty, students and staff promoting healthy relationships, awareness and the prevention of sexual violence through education and outreach within The University of Akron learning environment. Page 31