Boston University has partnered with national educational consulting firm Rankin Climate to conduct a student climate survey on sexual misconduct. The anonymous questionnaire, set to go out on February 26, will help University officials assess perceptions and behaviors related to a wide range of issues regarding sexual harassment and violence that impact students.

University News

BU to Conduct Student Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct

Going out to a random sampling of students, the survey will help the University get a clear picture of the campus environment and will inform policy and resource decisions

Boston University is conducting a sexual misconduct climate survey among students this spring in an effort to get as clear a picture as possible of the campus environment where students live, learn, and work.

The survey will be sent to a random sample of undergraduate and graduate students on Monday, February 26, and results—to be announced in fall 2024—will help inform University policies and resources, say members of the Committee on Sexual Assault & Harassment Prevention (CSAHP). The anonymous questionnaire will help University officials assess perceptions and behaviors related to a wide range of sexual harassment and sexual violence issues that impact students.

In a message to students earlier this month, Kenneth Freeman, University interim president, wrote that the sexual misconduct survey “is part of BU’s ongoing commitment to the safety of our community members.” He went on to note: “The information collected through this effort will provide important insight into the challenges we face and the community’s overall awareness, as well as the use of campus resources related to sexual misconduct. Understanding the lived experiences of our students is critical to our efforts to create a more inclusive and respectful campus environment.”

This type of survey is also now mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which requires colleges and universities to conduct student campus sexual misconduct climate surveys at least once every four years. BU’s last survey, conducted in 2019, was voluntary.

This year, BU has partnered with Rankin Climate, a national education consulting firm, to conduct the survey of students. Working with Rankin will also enhance data privacy—Rankin officials will collect the surveys and remove any possibly personally identifying information that respondents may write in responding to the survey. That will ensure that the data provided to Boston University is entirely anonymous, says Sue Kennedy, associate provost for special projects and emerging priorities, and CSAHP chair.

A random sample of roughly 3,600 students—both undergraduate and graduate—will receive an invitation to fill out the survey, Kennedy says.

Committee members opted for a random sample survey, rather than trying to conduct a census survey of every student on campus, because it is the optimal way to improve response rate and yield more accurate results, says CSAHP member Emily Rothman, a Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences professor of health sciences.

“The way we’re doing this is in line with best practices in survey research,” Rothman says. Just as national health surveys don’t need to query every single person in the United States to get accurate data, she says, BU doesn’t need to survey every student in order to obtain representative data about the campus environment.

BU has adapted a survey designed collaboratively by sexual assault researchers and student affairs professionals across the country for use at the University. It consists of multiple-choice and open-ended questions related to victim and bystander experiences and will take students roughly 30 minutes to complete.

Historically, sexual misconduct survey data has been used at BU in three main ways, says Nathan Brewer, director of the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP).

First is for transparency. After the 2019 survey, “a full report was released to the community, which, first and foremost, gave the community information about the state of affairs of sexual misconduct on campus,” says Brewer, who is also on the CSAHP team. “The survey data included things like how often folks are victimized, but also other things, like what do they think of the administration? How do people view the response that the University has to sexual misconduct on campus? It’s a way for BU to hold itself accountable to students.”

The second way the data has typically been used is to inform resource offices such as SARP. “It’s a way of understanding whether we’re serving the populations well enough,” Brewer says.

Finally, the data will enable BU officials to understand where the University stands among peer institutions across the country. “It serves as a benchmark for us,” he says.

And though not every student at BU will be selected to complete the survey, Brewer and others on the CSAHP team emphasize that there are resources available for all students to share their experiences and take action, if they so choose. Indeed, Brewer says, the climate survey is not the place to share an acute experience for which a student might seek help.

SARP offers individual and group counseling, a 24-hour crisis hotline, and advocacy services for survivors of interpersonal violence and other traumas. The Boston University Police Department has specially trained officers who investigate sexual assaults, and they can be reached at 617-353-2121. The University’s Equal Opportunity Office houses its Title IX coordinator. The office responds promptly and effectively to complaints of all kinds of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment and sexual violence against non-students, and the Office of Judicial Affairs responds to complaints against students. The Equal Opportunity Office can be reached at 617-358-1796, and the Office of Judicial Affairs at 617-358-0700.

Additionally, several off-campus services are also available to students. The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) offers free and confidential support services to survivors of sexual violence ages 12 and older, as well as their loved ones, friends, and professionals. SAFELINK, a domestic violence hotline, is available at 1-877-785-2020. The national sexual violence hotline is available at 1-800-656-4673, and the national domestic violence hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233.

Faculty and staff can find resources at the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office, at 617-638-5381.