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The AAU Campus Activities Report: Combating Sexual Assault and Misconduct includes several specific actions and programs that BU has undertaken to prevent and address sexual assault and sexual misconduct on campus. Photo by Conor Doherty.<\/em><\/p>\nIn the two years since a\u00a0national survey<\/a>\u00a0of students at Association of American Universities (AAU) schools indicated that nearly one in four undergraduate women had been sexually assaulted by force or when they were incapacitated, several actions and improvements have been taken by the member universities, according to a comprehensive report published yesterday by the association. BU is one of the 62 leading research universities across the country that make up the AAU.<\/p>\n The\u00a0AAU Campus Activities Report: Combating Sexual Assault and Misconduct<\/a>\u00a0is based on the results of a new survey of the association\u2019s members. It follows a 2015 campus climate survey conducted by the AAU\u2014as well as a separate\u00a0questionnaire<\/a>\u00a0distributed at BU\u2014that revealed disturbing numbers of nonconsensual sexual contact and threats of physical force. Mary Sue Coleman, president of the AAU, says the new report is intended to help member universities combat sexual assault and sexual misconduct by providing data and examples of efforts by peer institutions to prevent assaults.<\/p>\n The report\u2019s key findings:<\/p>\n \u2013 Over the last three academic years, all 55 institutions that responded to the survey have developed, refined, or enhanced programs to assist victims of sexual assault and misconduct.<\/p>\n \u2013 At least once since 2013, all responding institutions have surveyed students on issues related to sexual assault and misconduct.<\/p>\n \u2013 87 percent of responding institutions indicated that surveys or data from surveys stimulated new, or changed existing, conversations with students about sexual assault and misconduct.<\/p>\n \u2013 Over the last three academic years, 100 percent of responding institutions have changed or are in the process of changing their education and training for students and faculty.<\/p>\n \u2013 Over the three last academic years, 84 percent of responding institutions have developed new programs, education, or interventions for specific student populations or types of students.<\/p>\n \u2013 More than 90 percent of responding institutions reported increasing resources over the last three academic years in three categories: victim support, student training, and faculty and staff training.<\/p>\n \u201cI think one of the important things about this report is that it once again puts sexual misconduct at the forefront and gets people\u2019s attention,\u201d says Maureen Mahoney, director of the University\u2019s\u00a0Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center\u00a0<\/a>(SARP). \u201cThe report gives us a good baseline, because one of the things that really moves change on an administrative level is data. Administrators look to, and try to stay in line with, what our peer institutions are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n The new report includes several specific actions and programs that BU has undertaken to prevent and address sexual assault and sexual misconduct on campus.<\/p>\n In the University\u2019s\u00a02015 Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey<\/a>\u2014which measured students\u2019 perceptions of sexual violence at BU and was intended to guide the University\u2019s efforts to improve its response to sexual assault\u2014one in six students said they had experienced at least one form of sexual assault victimization as a BU student. That number was consistent with reports from other campuses and with\u00a0national estimates<\/a>. Students with nonbinary gender identity, undergraduates, and students who had been sexually assaulted consistently said they did not feel as supported and protected by the administration, faculty, and staff as other students do. (See more results from the survey\u00a0here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Sophie Godley<\/a>\u00a0(SPH\u201917), a School of Public Health clinical assistant professor of community health sciences, and a\u00a0Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey Task Force<\/a>\u00a0member, says the survey taught the University several lessons.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big picture overall, unfortunately, is that we aren\u2019t different from any other university that has been facing these issues,\u201d she says. \u201cThe issue of sexual assault is present on our campus and it is present in the mind of our students. It is a concern for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n One advantage that BU had over other schools, Godley says, was that an office for responding to and preventing sexual assault already existed. \u201cWe were able to feed survey information right to SARP, and they were able to integrate that additional information about BU\u2019s climate right into their programming.\u201d<\/p>\n The AAU survey drew attention to several of the programs BU has in place. Among those programs:<\/p>\n \u2022 The College of Arts & Sciences offers first year students a one-credit elective course (FY101<\/a>) that includes programming on healthy consent and communication.<\/p>\n \u2022 BU has several counseling support groups for victims of sexual assault. These include specific groups for students who have experienced a sexual assault, students who have been in a controlling or abusive relationship, and students who have been assaulted in their field placement (i.e., students involved in social work or archaeology).<\/p>\n \u2022 New and existing cases of sexual assault are reviewed on a weekly basis by the Title IX coordinator, Judicial Affairs, and the Dean of Students office, which discuss interim measures and potential complaint outcomes.<\/p>\n \u2022 BU uses the judicial database software tool Advocate, which can collect student conduct statistics and\u00a0Clery<\/a>\u00a0data and share information across offices.<\/p>\n Mahoney says that while there is no required prevention programing, about 1,400 students each year attend the University\u2019s primary prevention program,\u00a0Step Up Step In BU\u00a0<\/a>(SUSIBU), which teaches proactive bystander skills and is evidence-based. SUSIBU \u201ctalks about intersectionality, racism, and homophobia, which all contribute to a culture that allows sexual misconduct and gender-based violence to exist,\u201d Mahoney says. \u201cThe climate survey told us that students want to intervene, but they don\u2019t know how. So we give them tips on how to do it safely.\u201d<\/p>\n Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey Task Force cochair Kenneth Elmore (SED\u201987), associate provost and dean of students, credits SARP with increasing the number of outreach sessions and points out that the University has worked with the\u00a0One Love Foundation<\/a>, which encourages students to think about relationship violence. He says faculty and staff are obligated to\u00a0report incidents of sexual misconduct<\/a>\u00a0to the University\u2019s Title IX coordinator.<\/p>\n Survey task force cochair Peter Fiedler (COM\u201977), BU vice president for administrative services, echoes a\u00a0well-documented concern<\/a>: that victims of sexual assault do not always report the crime for reasons such as fear of retribution or embarrassment. Last year, eight rapes on BU property were reported to the BUPD, as well as four indecent assaults, says Peter Shin, an officer with the BUPD Crime Analysis Unit. According to SARP\u2019s\u00a02015\u20132016 annual report, during\u00a0that school year 74 students\u00a0came to the center for help after being sexually assaulted. \u201cReporting is absolutely critical,\u201d Fiedler says, adding that this summer the University plans to issue another survey about sexual misconduct and to reconvene the task force.<\/p>\n Fiedler says many BU police officers have taken the intensive\u00a0Sexual Assault Investigator Certification Training program<\/a>\u00a0run by the commonwealth\u2019s\u00a0Municipal Police Training Committee. The program is cotaught by a law enforcement officer and a rape crisis advocate, which reflects an indispensable multidisciplinary approach to sexual assault cases.<\/p>\n Godley says that while not perfect, things are improving. \u201cOne of the reasons why I think this issue is so challenging is that it is very difficult to gauge whether we have been able to change the climate,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s a tough question. But as a faculty member, separate from my work with the committee, I feel like I have been offered many opportunities in the last year to become more involved and get more educated, and that\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Student victims of any crime, including sexual assault or domestic violence, are urged to seek help from any of the many crisis intervention, counseling, and student services available to them, both on campus and in the community. Crisis intervention counselors are available through the\u00a0Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center<\/a>\u00a024 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 617-353-7277. Students may also call the BU Police Department at 617-353-2121 or the Dean of Students office at 617-353-4126 for assistance. Employees needing help may contact the\u00a0Faculty & Staff Assistance office<\/a>\u00a0at 617-353-5381 or email to\u00a0fsao@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\nBU\u2019s progress<\/h3>\n