Executive summary of campus climate survey on sexual assault released
Last year members of Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS)—of which Lewis & Clark is a part—were invited to administer a sexual assault climate survey. Lewis & Clark accepted the invitation, along with 56 other schools. Of the 57 institutions surveyed, 54 were small schools with undergraduate enrollments less than 3,500. All are private institutions.
The HEDS survey was administered electronically near the end of the Spring 2015 semester. A total of 2,650 students across our three schools were surveyed. Participation in the survey was strictly voluntary and respondents were informed as such in the invitation email. At Lewis & Clark, 673 students responded, yielding a 25.4% response rate. This response rate is 6.4% higher than the other participating institutions.
Further analysis of the survey data will take place over the spring semester. The results of the summary and in-depth analysis will be used to inform future programming and education for the prevention of sexual assault, as well as for our responses and support for survivors. The data will also be used as a baseline for subsequent surveys in order to assess our efforts in improving prevention and our response to sexual assault at Lewis & Clark.
An executive summary of the data follows below. The actual questions asked on the survey are provided, and responses from other small schools that participated in the survey are provided for comparison.
The survey summary is divided into four sections:
1. Respondent demographics
2. Assessment of campus climate
3. Assessing unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault
4. Context and disclosure
1. Respondent demographics
|
What is your college classification for the 2014–2015 Academic Year? |
||||
|
Lewis & Clark |
Other Small Schools |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Freshman/First Year |
173 |
25.7% |
5234 |
24.3% |
|
Sophomore |
115 |
17.1% |
4986 |
23.2% |
|
Junior |
81 |
12.1% |
5023 |
23.3% |
|
Senior |
131 |
19.5% |
5221 |
24.3% |
|
Graduate Student |
113 |
16.8% |
857 |
4.0% |
|
Other: (fill in) |
59 |
8.8% |
197 |
0.9% |
|
Total |
672 |
100.0% |
21518 |
100.0% |
|
What is your gender? |
||||
|
Woman |
450 |
67.0% |
14297 |
66.4% |
|
Man |
211 |
31.4% |
6919 |
32.1% |
|
Fill in: |
11 |
1.6% |
308 |
1.4% |
|
Total |
672 |
100.0% |
21524 |
100.0% |
|
Which term best describes your sexual orientation? |
||||
|
Asexual |
11 |
1.6% |
1274 |
6.0% |
|
Bisexual |
66 |
9.9% |
1303 |
6.1% |
|
Gay |
15 |
2.2% |
422 |
2.0% |
|
Heterosexual |
477 |
71.4% |
16362 |
76.7% |
|
Lesbian |
9 |
1.3% |
263 |
1.2% |
|
Pansexual |
21 |
3.1% |
422 |
2.0% |
|
Queer |
34 |
5.1% |
400 |
1.9% |
|
Questioning |
20 |
3.0% |
425 |
2.0% |
|
Fill in: |
15 |
2.2% |
467 |
2.2% |
|
Total |
668 |
100.0% |
21338 |
100.0% |
2. Assessment of campus climate
In general, responses to the questions regarding campus climate were positive. However, though only about 10% of respondents indicated disagreement with the statements below, the percentage of “neither agree nor disagree” responses is cause for concern.
|
Below are statements about your views on sexual assault at Lewis & Clark. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each: |
||||||
|
Lewis & Clark |
Small Institutions |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
I believe that students at Lewis & Clark would intervene if they witnessed a sexual assault. |
Strongly agree |
140 |
20.9% |
4803 |
22.3% |
|
|
Agree |
288 |
42.9% |
8486 |
39.5% |
||
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
170 |
25.3% |
5412 |
25.2% |
||
|
Disagree |
60 |
8.9% |
2282 |
10.6% |
||
|
Strongly disagree |
13 |
1.9% |
517 |
2.4% |
||
|
Total |
671 |
100.0% |
21500 |
100.0% |
||
|
Below are statements about your views on sexual assault at Lewis & Clark. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each: |
||||||
|
Lewis & Clark |
Small Institutions |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Campus officials would conduct a careful investigation in order to determine what happened. |
Strongly agree |
134 |
20.1% |
5668 |
26.4% |
|
|
Agree |
278 |
41.6% |
8549 |
39.8% |
||
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
190 |
28.4% |
4584 |
21.4% |
||
|
Disagree |
52 |
7.8% |
1924 |
9.0% |
||
|
Strongly disagree |
14 |
2.1% |
745 |
3.5% |
||
|
Total |
668 |
100.0% |
21470 |
100.0% |
||
|
Campus officials would take action against the offender(s). |
Strongly agree |
130 |
19.5% |
5397 |
25.1% |
|
|
Agree |
248 |
37.1% |
7547 |
35.2% |
||
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
212 |
31.7% |
5155 |
24.0% |
||
|
Disagree |
59 |
8.8% |
2304 |
10.7% |
||
|
Strongly disagree |
19 |
2.8% |
1059 |
4.9% |
||
|
Total |
668 |
100.0% |
21462 |
100.0% |
||
Though Lewis & Clark has made efforts to improve education around sexual assault and policies for reporting incidents, the data suggests a large percentage of students are still unaware of how to report an incident or resources available to them. Of those respondents who indicated they had received information, about 60% of them indicated they remembered most or all of the information.
|
Have you received information or education from Lewis & Clark about: |
|||||
|
Lewis & Clark |
Small Institutions |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
How to report an incident of sexual assault? |
Yes |
313 |
47.1% |
13664 |
64.1% |
|
No |
239 |
36.0% |
4525 |
21.2% |
|
|
Unsure |
112 |
16.9% |
3126 |
14.7% |
|
|
Total |
664 |
100.0% |
21315 |
100.0% |
|
|
Lewis & Clark’s confidential resources for sexual assault and how to locate them on campus? |
Yes |
353 |
53.2% |
13408 |
63.0% |
|
No |
198 |
29.9% |
4606 |
21.6% |
|
|
Unsure |
112 |
16.9% |
3277 |
15.4% |
|
|
Total |
663 |
100.0% |
21291 |
100.0% |
|
|
The procedures for investigating a sexual assault? |
Yes |
158 |
23.8% |
8187 |
38.4% |
|
No |
374 |
56.3% |
8865 |
41.6% |
|
|
Unsure |
132 |
19.9% |
4244 |
19.9% |
|
|
Total |
664 |
100.0% |
21296 |
100.0% |
|
|
Overall, how much do you remember about the information or education from Lewis & Clark about sexual assault?* |
|||||
|
Almost all, or all, of it |
94 |
17.9% |
3451 |
18.3% |
|
|
Most of it |
222 |
42.2% |
8404 |
44.5% |
|
|
Some of it |
160 |
30.4% |
5623 |
29.8% |
|
|
Very little, or none, of it |
50 |
9.5% |
1412 |
7.5% |
|
|
Total |
526 |
100.0% |
18890 |
100.0% |
|
|
Overall, how helpful did you think the information or education from Lewis & Clark about sexual assault was?* |
|||||
|
Very helpful |
77 |
14.6% |
2970 |
15.7% |
|
|
Helpful |
256 |
48.7% |
9331 |
49.4% |
|
|
Slightly helpful |
163 |
31.0% |
5655 |
30.0% |
|
|
Not at all helpful |
30 |
5.7% |
920 |
4.9% |
|
|
Total |
526 |
100.0% |
18876 |
100.0% |
|
*Only students who responded yes to one or more of the questions “Have you received information or education from Lewis & Clark about:” was asked this question.
This data suggests that while the college is providing information to students, there is more that should be done, especially in the area of reporting and procedures. Our rates are lower than the aggregate data from the other institutions that completed this survey.
3. Assessing unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault
We hope that students at Lewis & Clark never experience a sexual assault. Based on responses regarding assault, 90% of our students indicated that they had not experienced an assault.
|
Since starting at Lewis & Clark, has anyone attempted, but not succeeded in, sexually assaulting you while you were on campus or while you were off campus during an event or program sponsored by Lewis & Clark |
|||||
|
Lewis & Clark |
Other Small Schools |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yes |
30 |
4.5% |
1613 |
7.5% |
|
|
No |
610 |
91.0% |
18717 |
87.2% |
|
|
I suspect that someone attempted to sexually assault me, but I am not certain. |
30 |
4.5% |
1124 |
5.2% |
|
|
Total |
670 |
100.0% |
21454 |
100.0% |
|
|
Since starting at Lewis & Clark, have you been sexually assaulted while you were on campus or while you were off campus during an event or program sponsored by Lewis & Clark? |
|||||
|
Lewis & Clark |
Other Small Schools |
||||
|
Yes |
49 |
7.3% |
1593 |
7.4% |
|
|
No |
601 |
89.6% |
19219 |
89.4% |
|
|
I suspect that someone attempted to sexually assault me, but I am not certain. |
21 |
3.1% |
678 |
3.2% |
|
|
Total |
671 |
100.0% |
21490 |
100.0% |
|
4. Context and disclosure
|
Below are statements about your views on what might happen if someone were to report a sexual assault to an official at Lewis & Clark. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each: |
|||||
|
Lewis & Clark |
Other Small Schools |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Campus officials would take the report seriously. |
Strongly agree |
205 |
30.6% |
7924 |
37.2% |
|
Agree |
336 |
50.2% |
9337 |
43.8% |
|
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
89 |
13.3% |
2598 |
12.2% |
|
|
Disagree |
30 |
4.5% |
1092 |
5.1% |
|
|
Strongly disagree |
9 |
1.3% |
363 |
1.7% |
|
|
Total |
669 |
100.0% |
21314 |
100.0% |
|
|
Campus officials would support and protect the person making the report. |
Strongly agree |
177 |
26.5% |
6732 |
31.6% |
|
Agree |
313 |
46.9% |
8928 |
41.9% |
|
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
124 |
18.6% |
3642 |
17.1% |
|
|
Disagree |
41 |
6.1% |
1486 |
7.0% |
|
|
Strongly disagree |
13 |
1.9% |
509 |
2.4% |
|
|
Total |
668 |
100.0% |
21297 |
100.0% |
|
|
Campus officials would conduct a careful investigation in order to determine what happened. |
Strongly agree |
134 |
20.1% |
5571 |
26.2% |
|
Agree |
278 |
41.6% |
8491 |
39.9% |
|
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
190 |
28.4% |
4581 |
21.5% |
|
|
Disagree |
52 |
7.8% |
1905 |
8.9% |
|
|
Strongly disagree |
14 |
2.1% |
739 |
3.5% |
|
|
Total |
668 |
100.0% |
21287 |
100.0% |
|
|
Campus officials would take action against the offender(s). |
Strongly agree |
130 |
19.5% |
5305 |
24.9% |
|
Agree |
248 |
37.1% |
7466 |
35.1% |
|
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
212 |
31.7% |
5150 |
24.2% |
|
|
Disagree |
59 |
8.8% |
2299 |
10.8% |
|
|
Strongly disagree |
19 |
2.8% |
1058 |
5.0% |
|
|
Total |
668 |
100.0% |
21278 |
100.0% |
|
|
Students would support the person making the report. |
Strongly agree |
221 |
33.0% |
5895 |
27.7% |
|
Agree |
275 |
41.0% |
8477 |
39.9% |
|
|
Neither agree nor disagree |
141 |
21.0% |
4952 |
23.3% |
|
|
Disagree |
26 |
3.9% |
1450 |
6.8% |
|
|
Strongly disagree |
7 |
1.0% |
497 |
2.3% |
|
|
Total |
670 |
100.0% |
21271 |
100.0% |
|
This data suggests that students believe the college would take appropriate action once a report of a sexual assault was made. However, there is an opportunity here for further outreach and education to the community on how the Lewis & Clark handles complaints and an opportunity to invite people who have concerns to talk with staff members who oversee the process.
