Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey Results
September 24, 2015
Dear Members of the Boston University Community,
In July of 2014, I asked Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore and Vice President for Administrative Services Peter Fiedler to convene a task force that would develop and implement a survey on sexual misconduct at Boston University. (The members of the task force are listed below.)
The survey was sent in March 2015 to 27,086 undergraduate and graduate students. Recipients of the survey request will recall that the University offered to make a $5 donation per completed survey to one of four Boston-area advocacy and support services for survivors of sexual assault, rape, and violence.
I am pleased to report that the results of the survey have been completed and collated. The task force’s report is posted online. BU Today is also carrying an article about the report.
I encourage you to read the full task force report. We take the issue of sexual misconduct with utmost seriousness at Boston University. The survey results are an important element in our continuing work to improve our policies and procedures (including the training we provide to faculty, students, and staff) and the support we provide to students who have experienced sexual misconduct.
Here are some key findings from the report:
- A total of 5,875 students responded to the survey, a 22% participation rate.
- One in six respondents (18%) reported experiencing some form of sexual assault while a BU student. (There are significant variations by gender in the numbers that make up this average, which is consistent with averages reported by other institutions conducting climate surveys.)
- A majority of reported incidents involved alcohol use: 78% of respondents who reported experiencing sexual misconduct say that they had consumed alcohol beforehand and 86% say their assailants had.
- A majority of respondents (63%) who reported experiencing sexual misconduct said that the incidents occurred off campus.
- A large majority (94%) of respondents reported feeling safe on campus.
It is very disturbing that so many of the students completing the survey have experienced sexual assault. Our community’s well-being depends on adherence to principles of individual responsibility, mutual respect, and trust. We must redouble our efforts to reinforce these principles and prevent those choices and behaviors that harm members of our community or others.
We will be conducting a climate survey again next year, and it is our hope that we can increase the participation rate so that we have the full benefit of the insights and experiences of more of our students.
We are grateful for the hard work by the members of the task force who developed the survey and by the many students who provided feedback on the survey design. We are especially grateful to all those who took the time to complete this important survey because of what it tells us about our community and what we can do to ensure that Boston University provides a safe, welcoming environment for all of our students, faculty, and staff.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Brown
President
Task Force Membership:
- Sophie Godley, PhD (SPH)
- Amie Grills. PhD (SED)
- Timothy Heeren, PhD (SPH)
- Steve Jarvi, PhD (Associate Dean for Student Academic Life, CAS)
- Sue Kennedy (Office of the Provost)
- R. Marc Laursen (Director, Athletic Training)
- Carrie Landa, PhD (Director, SHS Behavioral Medicine)
- Melanie Madaio-O’Brien (Institutional Research)
- Maureen Mahoney (Director, SARP)
- Laurie Pohl, PhD (VP for Enrollment & Student Affairs)
- Carrie Preston, PhD (CAS)
- Kim Randall, Esq. (EOO)
- Emily Rothman, ScD (SPH/MED)
- Kenneth Elmore, Esq., Co-Chair (Dean of Students)
- Peter Fiedler, Co-Chair (VP for Administrative Services)
- Rebecca Ginzburg, Esq. (Associate General Counsel)