Administrators' perceptions of college campus protocols, response, and student prevention efforts for sexual assault

Abstract

Background: Sexual assault disproportionately affects college students. Because most survivors do not report sexual assault, research has explored individual factors related to the reporting, with limited research exploring institutional-level factors related to victims' decisions to report their experiences.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to describe three key areas: (a) campus assault adjudication, (b) protocols and campus responses to assault, and (c) provision of student prevention education regarding sexual violence.

Participants: A nationally representative sample of 1,067 campus administrators responded to a survey regarding institutional sexual assault policies and procedures.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that although many institutions are responding adequately to sexual assault in these three areas, improvements are possible. Implications for improving campus responses and further research are discussed.