HHD conducts first nationwide study of campus sexual assault policies

A groundbreaking new study of campus sexual assault policies has caught the attention of higher education administrators and put HHD’s research in the media spotlight.

The two-year study, mandated by Congress, is the first comprehensive investigation of how well the nation’s institutions of higher education (IHEs) comply with federal law in responding to student allegations of rape and sexual assault, and preventing its occurrence. HHD conducted the study in collaboration with researchers from the University of Cincinnati, with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institutes of Justice. The Police Executive Research Forum contributed to field research.

The study’s findings are striking. Despite recent strides made by colleges and universities, the researchers found significant flaws in colleges’ reporting, prevention, and adjudication procedures where rape and sexual assault are concerned. Only 37 percent of American institutions of higher education report sexual crime statistics in full compliance with federal law. Less than half of all IHEs provide new students with acquaintance rape prevention and sexual assault awareness programming. Only a quarter of all schools use an investigative stage to collect evidence once a report is made, and only one third use due process procedures for the accused.

Researchers used multiple data collection methods to gather data on nine different issues from a national sample of 2,438 IHEs, including mail surveys of campus administrators, content analysis of published sexual assault policies, and field research at schools whose sexual assault policies were identified as “promising” by set criteria.

This research is significant because it provides much-needed baseline data about colleges’ efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault. The final report also offers examples of promising practices used by some schools to counteract rape on campus, or to support victims and hold offenders accountable when sexual assault occurs. Dr. Heather Karjane, the study’s principal investigator, says, “Colleges can now know where they place among their peer institutions, and they have information on emerging promising practices.”

The report has garnered widespread interest from the higher education community. "This study will be a tremendous asset in improving how those of us working in campus violence prevention and victim services respond to the epidemic of sexual assault in our campus communities,” notes S. Daniel Carter, Senior Vice President of Security On Campus, Inc.

“The information in this report brings data into the field which, until now, has rested primarily on anecdotes," says Sheldon Steinbach, vice president and general counsel of the American Council on Education.

One immediate hope for this research is that it fosters open discussion among higher education administrators and encourages them to take a pro-active stance on sexual assault prevention. Dr. Karjane explains, “There is a widespread misperception among college administrators that reported rates of the crime accurately reflect how often the crime is attempted or committed, and that is simply not true.” Underreporting by victims remains one of the most significant challenges facing campus and law enforcement authorities. “To facilitate the reporting process, campus administrators need to openly acknowledge that sexual assault occurs within the student population; it is not typically the result of a stranger-rapist breaking into an otherwise safe campus community,” says Dr. Karjane. “Administrators need to design their education, prevention, and response policies with this reality in mind.”

Among the promising practices identified through the study is the use of behavioral illustrations to teach students the definitions sexual assault and rape. Students still need to understand that sexual assault is something that can happen between acquaintances, between friends, between dating partners. Promising programs also are more likely to target males for prevention, offer wide-reaching education programs that start with orientation and continue throughout the school year, use peer educators, and integrate messages about sexual assault into broader education about risk reduction (particularly the relationship between drinking and sexual assault).

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