University of Wyoming Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey – 2018 UW Sexual Misconduct Task Force Data Committee: Dr. Matt J. Gray and Tess M. Kilwein (Co-Chairs), Kendal C. Binion and Stephanie Amaya June 15, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 Key Findings ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 Methodology .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Survey Instrument ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Sampling and Distribution ............................................................................................................................ 4 Response Rates and Demographics ............................................................................................................. 4 Results .............................................................................................................................................................. 6 Sexual Assault............................................................................................................................................... 6 Victimization Rates ................................................................................................................................... 6 Perpetration Rates ................................................................................................................................... 8 Context of Sexual Assault......................................................................................................................... 9 Intimate Partner and Dating Violence ......................................................................................................... 10 Offensive Behaviors and Sexual Harassment .............................................................................................. 10 Stalking Behaviors ........................................................................................................................................11 Rape Myth Acceptance ............................................................................................................................... 12 Perceptions of Campus Climate .................................................................................................................. 14 Institutional Response to Sexual Misconduct ......................................................................................... 14 Knowledge of Resources............................................................................................................................. 16 Victim Disclosure ......................................................................................................................................... 18 Consent Knowledge ................................................................................................................................ 19 Bystander Intervention Behavior ............................................................................................................... 20 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 24 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................25 References ..................................................................................................................................................... 26 Appendices ......................................................................................................................................................27 University of Wyoming Athletics Outcomes ...............................................................................................27 Army and Air Force ROTC Outcomes.......................................................................................................... 28 Fraternity and Sorority Life Outcomes ....................................................................................................... 29 Open-Ended Responses ............................................................................................................................. 30 Introduction The University of Wyoming (UW) Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey was administered during the spring semester of 2018 and all UW students were invited to participate. The survey was created with the primary goal of gathering data regarding student perceptions of sexual misconduct, prevalence rates of such misconduct, University response, and knowledge of resources available in regard to sexual misconduct at the University. The data are meant to inform policy, programming, and educational efforts across the University aimed at reducing sexual misconduct and improving the experience of all UW students. Until quite recently, there has been a great deal of misunderstanding and misinformation about the scope and prevalence of sexual assault and misconduct on college campuses. An examination of campus crime statistics and formal reports of sexual misconduct to campus authorities typically yields a perception that sexual misconduct is comparatively rare. By way of example, the most recent publicly available data on the frequency of rape at UW obtained from the U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security Website indicates that in 2016, there were 19 on-campus rapes. Given an enrollment of 12,366 in that same year, one might reasonably conclude that only a fraction of 1% of UW students have been raped in a given year. At the same time, there are a number of large scale empirical studies estimating that more than 1 in 5 college women will be sexually assaulted during their college years (for a review, see Muehlenhard, Peterson, Humphreys & Jozkowski, 2017). Faced with these seemingly discordant statistics, it is tempting to perceive either that sexual assault is something that largely happens “elsewhere” or that the estimates gleaned from research studies are exaggerated or spuriously high. The resolution to this apparent paradox is twofold: first, as empirical research findings—and the current survey data—demonstrate, the great majority of assaults are never reported to campus authorities; and second, according to the National College Women Sexual Victimization (NCWSV) survey, the majority of college sexual assaults occur offcampus (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). As a result, formal campus crime statistics—which consist only of those assaults that happened to be reported to campus authorities and that typically occurred on campus—will grossly underestimate the percentage of students experiencing a sexual assault during their college years. For these reasons, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault (2017), the United States Department of Justice (2017), and the American Association of University Women (2017) have all concluded that large-scale campus sexual misconduct climate surveys are indispensable in accurately estimating the prevalence of sexual misconduct, and that they should be routinely conducted to index improvement over time. As noted by the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence against Women website (2017), “Campus climate surveys are essential because they generate data on the nature and extent of sexual assault on campuses, as well as campus attitudes surrounding sexual assault. Armed with accurate data, administrators and students can then begin to direct resources where they are most needed. Both the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault and the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights have identified campus climate surveys as best practices.” In brief, because campus police reports and Clery Act data capture only a small percentage of assaults experienced by college students, large-scale campus climate surveys—such as the one described here— represent the optimal approach to accurately indexing the prevalence of an institution’s sexual misconduct and ultimately informing future programming, prevention, and response efforts. 1 Key Findings An advantage of the survey used in this effort—the Administrator Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3)—is that it uses well-validated, detailed, comprehensive, and behaviorally specific questions. Doing so is considered best practice, as it allows for optimally sensitive and accurate sexual misconduct prevalence rates to be determined. Historical approaches that did not inquire about specific variants of assault have been shown to significantly underestimate sexual victimization rates (White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, 2014). Although detailed questions about sexual assault and misconduct experiences can be distressing to some respondents, every effort was made in recruitment and consent procedures to inform potential participants about the nature of the questions that they would be asked and to assure them that they were free to discontinue responding at any time without penalty. The procedures were approved by UW Institutional Review Board, and no adverse incidents were reported to study personnel whose contact information was provided. • Sexual Assault: 27.1% of the 1,913 respondents who completed the UW Sexual Misconduct Campus Climate Survey reported experiencing at least one instance of sexual assault during their time at UW. For this analysis, sexual assault was defined as any nonconsensual sexual touching or any attempted or completed act of nonconsensual oral, anal, or vaginal sex. With respect to gender and sexual assault, 34.0% of women, 12.8% of men, and 50.0% of gender non-conforming participants reported experiencing at least one instance of sexual assault. • Attempted or Completed Rape: Narrowing analyses to only instances of attempted or completed oral, anal, or vaginal rape (i.e., excluding nonconsensual sexual touching), 21% of respondents reported experiencing at least one instance of such an assault during their time at UW. More specifically, 26.8% of women, 8.9% of men, and 46.2% of gender non-conforming individuals reported an experience of attempted or completed rape. Narrowing analyses even further to only instances of completed rape (i.e., excluding attempted but not completed rape), 15% of respondents reported such an assault during their time at UW. As a function of gender, 19% of women, 6% of men, and 30.8% of gender non-conforming individuals reported such an experience. • Comparability to Other Institutions: The rates of assault outlined above are unfortunately typical. Though some institutions for which comparable ARC3 data are publicly available have slightly higher (e.g., Tulane University, Ohio University) or slightly lower (e.g., Penn State, University of Colorado) rates of sexual assault, most institutions report rates within a few percentage points of those noted here. Accordingly, these numbers are not spuriously high or atypical, but rather, indicative of the pandemic of sexual violence among college students across the nation. They also attest to the aforementioned reality that the great majority of sexual assault survivors do not report their experiences to campus authorities, faculty, or staff and/or that the assaults in question did not occur on campus property and are therefore unrepresented among Clery Act data. To this point, 286 of our 1913 respondents reported experiencing an act of completed oral, anal, or vaginal rape. Even if NO non-respondents experienced an act of sexual violence, as with other institutions, these numbers dwarf those that appear in formal campus crime statistic reports. • Student Reporting of Sexual Assault: Consistent with prior research, only a slight majority (53.2%) of those experiencing sexual assault told someone about the incident before this survey. Of those who did disclose their assault to someone else, not surprisingly, the majority reported this experience to a close friend (89.9%), roommate (52.0%), romantic partner (36.7%), or parent (22.4%). 2 Only 13.1% of those experiencing an assault reported their assault to a UW faculty or staff member, and only 9.9% indicated that they made a complaint or filed a report with the Dean of Students office or through formal UW reporting mechanisms (e.g., Title IX office). These reporting trends easily account for the difference of assault rates reported here and those that appear in formal campus crime statistic reports. • Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment is defined by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature” and is operationalized by the ARC3 as behaviors such as making sexist remarks, engaging in unwelcome sexual conversations, and repeated attempts to initiate a romantic or sexual relationship despite saying no or discouraging it. During their time at UW, 35% of respondents (37% of women, 31% of men, and 69% of gender non-conforming respondents) reported experiencing at least one form of harassment by faculty or staff. With respect to harassment perpetrated by other students, 58% of respondents (65% of women, 45% of men, and 85% of gender non-conforming participants) reported at least one experience of sexual harassment. • Intimate Partner and Dating Violence: 26.8% of female respondents, 10.4% of male respondents, and 52.6% of gender non-conforming respondents reported at least one instance of physical assault or dating violence by an intimate partner. Overall—across gender categories—this represents a 21.7% intimate partner and dating violence victimization rate experienced by respondents while at UW. 3 Methodology Survey Instrument The primary instrument used was the Administrator Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) survey. This survey was developed collaboratively by 25 internationally prominent researchers and scholars who specialize in sexual misconduct research and policy. It utilizes reliable, validated content drawn from peer-reviewed empirical research and has been used by dozens of universities nationally. More information on ARC3 and the process of creating the survey can be found at: http://campusclimate.gsu.edu/. In addition, the Revised Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance (IRMA; McMahon & Farmer, 2011) scale was utilized. Rape myths are erroneous beliefs about causes and consequences of sexual assault and include misperceptions related to victim blame and consent to sexual activity. Although the great majority of respondents disavow rape myths, these beliefs are important to assess and index because rape myth acceptance has been shown to be strongly associated with sexual assault perpetration and rape proclivity. The IRMA is the most widely used measure of rape myth acceptance. Accordingly, the 2018 UW Sexual Misconduct Campus Climate Survey utilized the most psychometrically sound and extensively used measures of sexual misconduct behaviors and beliefs. Sampling and Distribution A team of researchers at UW distributed the survey and collected the data from January 23, 2018 to March 1, 2018 for a total duration of 37 days. This interval was designed to allow ample opportunity for interested respondents to participate and multiple waves of advertisement and recruitment strategies. It was scheduled so as to allow students to transition back to campus for a few days prior to the survey opening, but to conclude prior to midterm examinations. The survey was open to all UW undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Recruitment methods included an e-mail from the University president, announcements from the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming, targeted e-mail announcements, posters, fliers, postcards, and table tents in common campus dining areas. All electronic announcements included a direct link to the survey and all printed announcements included the survey website address and a QR code that linked potential respondents directly to the survey website. Those who completed the survey were entered into a random drawing for incentive items which included: 5 $100 cash prizes, 50 $20 Amazon gift cards, local restaurant and coffee shop gift certificates, lunch with the University president, UW apparel, free massage certificates, personal training sessions, and $100 gift certificate to the University bookstore. There were additional incentives for particular student groups on campus (i.e., Army and Air Force ROTC, Fraternity and Sorority Life, University of Wyoming Athletics, Residence Life and Dining). Overall, there were nearly 200 prizes representing an approximately 1 in 10 chance of winning an incentive. Response Rates and Demographics Overall, 25.85% (N = 2482) of students responded to the survey and 19.76% (N = 1897) completed the entire survey. Responses were considered complete if at least 90% of the survey questions were answered. Because of the comprehensiveness and length of the survey (median time to completion = 27.6 minutes), some attrition predictably occurred over the course of the survey. For this reason, total number of respondents will vary slightly depending on whether the questions/content appeared at the beginning or 4 end of the survey. This response rate compares favorably to that of other institutions utilizing the ARC3 and random incentive drawings. Table 1 illustrates some of the demographic characteristics of respondents. These demographics are generally representative of the larger student body population based on information obtained from UW’s Office of Institutional Analysis, with the exception of a slight over-representation of female respondents, as is typical in the context of campus sexual misconduct climate surveys. RESPONSE RATE Table 1. Selected demographics in percentages. Responded to Survey Completed Survey 26% 20% Class Standing of Respondents 13% 25% 6% 15% 19% 22% 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5+ Year Graduate/Professional Percent Gender Identity Female Male Gender Non-Conforming 63.3 35.3 1.3 Sexual Orientation Heterosexual Lesbian/Gay Bisexual Asexual Queer Other 87.2 2.8 6.6 1.4 1.1 0.9 Race/Ethnicity Non-Hispanic White Hispanic White Hispanic/Latinx Asian/Asian American Black/African American Native American/American Indian Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Multiracial Other 87.1 2.6 4.0 2.7 1.3 0.4 0.1 1.2 0.6 Note: Gender non-conforming consists of gender queer, nonbinary, and transgender men and women. 5 Results The following sections summarize some of the most important findings from the 2018 UW Sexual Misconduct Campus Climate Survey, as well as information representing common foci for studies regarding sexual misconduct at colleges and universities. Most results are further delineated by gender identity of respondents. It is important to note that, due to a limited number of students identifying as gender queer, non-binary, or transgender, the gender non-conforming variable necessarily combines any gender outside of the “male” or “female” binary. Sexual Assault Participants were asked to report sexual experiences that had occurred since enrolled at UW. Sexual Assault is conventionally and broadly defined as any type of nonconsensual sexual contact ranging from nonconsensual sexual touching to completed rape (Rape and Incest National Network, 2018; United States Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health, 2018). More specifically, the ARC3 operationalizes sexual assault as follows: NONCONSENSUAL SEXUAL TOUCHING • Any nonconsensual fondling, kissing, or rubbing up against the private areas of one’s body (i.e., lips, breast/chest, crotch, or butt) or removal of one’s clothes without consent. ATTEMPTED OR COMPLETED ORAL, ANAL, OR VAGINAL RAPE • Any of the nonconsensual acts that also involve attempted or completed sexual penetration (i.e., oral, anal, or vaginal rape). COMPLETED ORAL, ANAL, OR VAGINAL RAPE • Any of the nonconsensual acts that also involve completed sexual penetration (i.e., oral, anal, or vaginal rape). Victimization Rates As noted in Table 2, a nontrivial percentage of participants reported experiencing some variant of sexual assault. Utilizing the broadest definition (i.e., any nonconsensual sexual touching or attempted/completed rape), slightly over a quarter of respondents endorsed such an experience, with over 1 in 10 men, approximately 1 in 3 females, and half of gender non-conforming participants reporting an assault during their time at UW. Excluding nonconsensual sexual touching, nearly 1 in 5 respondents reported a completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape since entering UW, with this variant of assault being reported by nearly a quarter of female respondents and almost half of gender non-conforming individuals. Finally, when confining analyses only to individuals reporting that they have experienced a completed oral, anal, or vaginal rape during their time at UW, 15% reported such an experience, with this rate being nearly 1 in 5 among female respondents and over 1 in 3 among gender non-conforming respondents. This prevalence, though tragically high, is comparable to that observed in empirical research studies bearing on rates of sexual violence victimization among college students (Muehlenhard et al., 2017). As is typical among most campus sexual misconduct climate surveys, those respondents categorized as gender nonconforming reported the highest rates of sexual violence victimization. Despite the overall representativeness of our sample, we cannot rule out the possibility of response rate or bias impacting 6 sexual misconduct rates. Importantly, however, even if one were to assume that the rate of sexual assault victimization rate was zero among survey non-respondents, we nevertheless had 286 individuals in our sample reporting a completed rape during their time at UW. It is unlikely that response rate or bias would appreciably alter the results in light of the large, representative sample, the extensively used and wellvalidated measures, and the fact that these rates are broadly comparable to those reported at most other institutions of higher learning. Table 2. Percentage of students reporting victimization of sexual assault during their time at UW. Overall Male Female GNC Victim of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration 27.1% 12.8% 34.0% 50.0% Victim of at least one instance of completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual touching) 21.0% 8.9% 26.8% 46.2% Victim of at least one instance of completed oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual sexual touching and attempted, but not completed, rape) 15.0% 6.0% 19.4% 30.8% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Sexual assault can be further broken down into the tactics used by the perpetrator to commit the sexual offenses without consent. For each form of nonconsensual sexual contact, respondents were asked to report the method by which nonconsensual sexual contact was obtained, including: ACTS OF COERCION • Continually verbally pressuring the respondent after they said they did not want to continue and expressing significant anger (but not using physical force) after the respondent said they did not want to continue. INCAPACITATION • Taking advantage of the respondent when they were too drunk or otherwise intoxicated to know what was happening. FORCE OR THREATS OF FORCE • • Threatening to physically harm the respondent or someone close to the respondent; Using physical force (e.g., holding the respondent down, pinning their arms, or having a weapon). As is typically the case, tactics used by perpetrators were varied and comparably represented (see Table 3). Acts of coercion and incapacitation were approximately co-equal in utilization, followed closely by force or threats of force. While acts of coercion were mostly commonly reported among female respondents, force or threats of force were most commonly reported among gender non-conforming respondents. The rates—when aggregated—exceed the total rate of sexual assault victimization, reflecting the fact that some perpetrators used multiple tactics. It also reflects the fact that some victims experienced multiple victimizations and their perpetrators may have utilized different tactics. 7 Table 3. Percentage of students reporting victimization of sexual assault by tactic. Overall Male Female GNC Acts of Coercion 17.4% 7.6% 22.2% 26.9% Incapacitation 16.2% 7.6% 20.1% 23.1% Force or threats of force 10.4% 1.9% 14.3% 34.6% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. ASSAULTS RESULTING FROM FORCE, THREAT OF FORCE, OR INCAPACITATION Because some of the discordant rates of sexual assault across college campuses are owing to different definitions of sexual assault, as well as the types of tactics used by perpetrators, one final sexual assault victimization analysis was conducted. Specifically, for the following results, only variants of sexual assault resulting from physical force, threat of force, or incapacitation were included, and assaults resulting from other acts of coercion (e.g., blackmail, visible anger) were excluded. Although the latter tactics certainly constitute sexual assault and should not be excused, it is recognized that there may be interest in rates of sexual violence that are limited to more severe tactics used by perpetrators. Based on data from Table 4 below, it is clear that even when only including assaults resulting from severe perpetrator tactics (i.e., physical force, threat of force, or incapacitation), the rates of sexual assault are still unacceptably high. Specifically, it is still the case that 1 in 5 UW students have experienced a sexual assault during their college years, with this rate being nearly 1 in 10 for UW men, over 1 in 4 for UW women, and nearly 40% of gender non-conforming respondents. With respect to attempted or completed rape resulting from these more severe perpetration tactics, 16% of UW students overall, 8% of UW men, 21% of UW women, and 31% of gender non-conforming respondents reported experience such an assault since coming to UW. In sum, regardless of the type of assault under consideration or tactic used by perpetrators, the prevalence of assault—though perhaps typical of other universities as well—is unfortunately rather high. Table 4. Percentage of UW students reporting victimization of sexual assault resulting from force, threat of force, or incapacitation. Overall Male Female GNC Victim of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration 20.5% 8.7% 26.3% 38.5% Victim of at least one instance of completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual touching) 16.2% 6.1% 21.2% 30.8% Victim of at least one instance of completed oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual sexual touching and attempted, but not completed, rape) 11.8% 3.7% 15.8% 19.2% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Perpetration Rates Upon initial examination, perpetration rates do not appear to accord with victimization rates (see Table 5). This is typical of campus climate survey findings, however, and can be accounted for by a number of 8 factors. First, some assaults (as noted below) were perpetrated by individuals not affiliated with UW. Second, even in the context of an anonymous survey there may have either been reluctance to acknowledge a perpetration event (perhaps out of fear identifiability despite assurances of anonymity) or a failure to understand consent. Third, and perhaps most prominently, prior research has shown that sexual assault perpetrators typically assault multiple victims (Lisak & Miller, 2002). Table 5. Percentage of students reporting perpetration of sexual assault. Overall Male Female GNC 2.3% 3.1% 1.9% 0% Perpetrator of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Context of Sexual Assault For those who reported experiencing any kind of sexual assault, respondents were asked to describe a variety of characteristics related to the one experience that had the greatest impact on them. Consistent with prevailing research on campus sexual violence, the great majority of sexual assaults were perpetrated by males and the perpetrators were known by victims (see Table 6). Only 14.4% of assaults were perpetrated by a stranger. Also mirroring existing empirical research, a large percentage of both victims and perpetrators were using drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the assault. Although survivors were not always aware of whether assailants were affiliated with UW, nearly 2/3 were identifiable as UW students. Finally, the great majority of assaults occurred off campus which to some extent accounts for the discordance between Clery Act/Title IX data and the true prevalence of sexual violence experienced by college students across the nation. Table 6. Context of sexual assault. Percent Gender Identity of Perpetrator Female Male Other Relationship to Perpetrator Stranger Acquaintance Friend Romantic partner Former romantic partner Relative/family Perpetrator was a UW Student Assault Happened on Campus 9% 20% Yes 15.0 84.0 1.0 14.4 30.0 21.6 17.9 15.0 0.8 26% 65% DK Victim Used Drugs or Alcohol 42% Yes No Perpetrator Used Drugs or Alcohol Yes 58% No 80% No 19% Yes 46% 35% No DK 9 Intimate Partner and Dating Violence Students also responded to a series of questions referencing intimate partner and dating violence (IPV/DV). Questions in this section of the survey asked respondents to think about any hook-up, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife they have had—including exes and regardless of length of relationship—since enrolling at UW before indicating whether they had experienced the following behaviors: • • • • • • The person threatened to hurt me and I thought I might really get hurt. The person pushed, grabbed, or shook me. The person hit me. The person beat me up. The person stole or destroyed my property. The person can scare me without laying a hand on me. Clearly, based on the data presented in Table 7, a significant proportion of UW students have been victims of physical assault and dating violence by intimate partners (i.e., 1 in 10 men, 1 in 4 women, and half of gender non-conforming respondents). As with sexual assault, there is a disparity between victimization and perpetrations rates. This can be accounted for by lack of willingness to acknowledge perpetration— even in the context of an anonymous survey—and by the fact that some partners perpetrating violence may not have been UW students. As with sexual assault, perpetrators may have been in multiple violent relationships. Upon initial consideration, it may be counterintuitive that male and female respondents report comparable rates of dating violence perpetration. However, there is indeed empirical literature documenting IPV/DV “symmetry” (i.e., comparable rates of perpetration as a function of gender). Importantly, however, the severity of physical violence in intimate relationships typically differs by gender, with women experiencing more deleterious impacts (Sillito, 2012). It is certainly the case that women can be primary or co-aggressors in physically violent relationships. Unfortunately, the ARC3—extensive though it may be—does not include questions pertaining to self-defense and/or severity of violent incidents in order to understand how comparable the rates of perpetration by gender truly are. Table 7. Percentage of students reporting victimization or perpetration of IPV/DV. Overall Male Female GNC Victim of at least one act of IPV/DV 21.7% 10.4% 26.8% 52.6% Perpetrator of at least one act of IPV/DV 6.5% 6.1% 6.5% 15.4% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Offensive Behaviors and Sexual Harassment Students were asked a variety of questions about behaviors or actions they had experienced within the academic context by other students or staff/faculty (which includes graduate student instructors, supervisors, and adjunct instructors). These questions measured a range of behaviors, including sexist comments and behavior (e.g., making offensive sexist remarks), crude or lewd comments and behavior (e.g., repeatedly telling sexual stories or jokes that are offensive), unwanted sexual attention (e.g., touching you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable), sexual coercion (e.g., treating you badly for refusing to have sex), and sexual harassment via electronic communication (e.g., spreading sexual rumors about you by electronic means). 10 The majority of respondents indicated that they had experienced at least one form of sexual harassment by a fellow student since arriving at UW (see Table 8). The most common form of harassment was receiving an offensive sexist remark, with unwanted sexual attention or harassment via electronic communication being less common. As with other domains of sexual misconduct, gender non-conforming respondents experienced the highest rates of harassment and males the lowest. The prevalence of student-to-student harassment, though high, is comparable to rates reported by other institutions. Table 8. Percentage of students reporting offensive behaviors or sexual harassment by other students. Overall Male Female GNC 58.1% 44.5% 64.6% 85.2% Sexist comments and behavior 50.7% 37.9% 56.8% 85.2% Crude or lewd comments and behavior 41.4% 29.9% 46.9% 63.0% Unwanted sexual attention 24.6% 16.5% 28.1% 63.0% Sexual harassment via electronic communication 21.1% 9.4% 26.9% 37.0% Any offensive behavior or sexual harassment Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Although the rates of harassment by faculty and staff reported by respondents is much lower, they are nevertheless unacceptably high (see Table 9). While the majority of respondents reported no instances of harassment or sexist behavior/commentary by any faculty or staff member during their time at UW, a full third of respondents reported at least once instance of harassment—typically a sexist comment or behavior—perpetrated by at least one faculty or staff member during their time at UW. Similar to sexual harassment by other students, gender non-conforming respondents experienced the highest rates of harassment and males the lowest. Table 9. Percentage of students reporting offensive behaviors or sexual harassment by faculty/staff. Overall Male Female GNC 35.3% 31.2% 36.6% 69.0% Sexist comments and behavior 32.4% 27.4% 34.3% 69.0% Crude or lewd comments and behavior 14.5% 11.3% 15.6% 37.9% Unwanted sexual attention 5.9% 4.3% 6.5% 13.8% Sexual coercion 2.9% 2.2% 3.2% 6.9% Any offensive behavior or sexual harassment Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Stalking Behaviors Students were asked if they had experienced one or more stalking behaviors since enrolling at UW. In general, stalking behaviors refer to a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. 11 Nearly one third of UW students reported experiencing a repeated pattern of unwanted contact or attention that would meet the definition of stalking (see Table 10). As with other findings, gender nonconforming individuals reported the highest prevalence rate, followed by women, and then men. Although men were less likely to be victims of stalking relative to other gender categories, it is worth noting that their rate of endorsement is still unacceptably high, with one in five UW men reporting such an experience. Also similar to previously discussed domains of sexual misconduct, reported perpetration rates are significantly lower. Once again, this may reflect the fact that some instances reported by victims were perpetrated by non-UW affiliated persons, that some stalkers may deny or minimize their behavior, and/or that individuals who engage in stalking behaviors are likely to stalk multiple individuals. Importantly, however, even though the self-reported stalking rates are lower than self-reported victimization rates, many may find them surprisingly high. Nearly one in ten respondents selfacknowledged engaging in behaviors that would qualify as stalking. As a point of fact, despite only capturing 20% of the UW student body, 161 individuals self-acknowledged engaging in behaviors that would qualify as stalking during their time at UW. Table 10. Percentage of students reporting victimization or perpetration of stalking behavior. Overall Male Female GNC Victim of stalking behavior 30.5% 22.6% 34.1% 53.8% Perpetrator of stalking behavior 8.3% 9.2% 7.7% 19.2% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Rape Myth Acceptance Respondents were administered the Revised Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance (IRMA), which assesses a variety of myths related to sexual violence. Rape myths are erroneous beliefs about causes and consequences of sexual violence and typically serve to blame the victim and/or exonerate the perpetrator. Rape myths have been shown to predict sexual violence and to differentiate sexual offenders from nonoffenders (Johnson & Beech, 2017). Although the great majority of respondents encouragingly disavow all rape myths, it is nevertheless important to examine which beliefs are more commonly endorsed by a sizable minority, as this has implications for future education and prevention efforts. Prior research has shown that although males exhibit significantly higher levels of rape myth acceptance compared to women, the differences are not especially large, and that many women endorse some rape myths. This is reflected in the current data by items that do not appreciably differ from the sample at large in terms of overall endorsement rate. Still, because males typically exhibit the highest levels of rape myth acceptance, we report overall endorsement rates as well as male endorsement rates. As can be seen in Table 11, male respondents, as well as the overall sample, generally disavowed most rape myths. Yet, some items were endorsed by a nontrivial minority of respondents, and these arguably have implications for perpetration justification. The rape myths endorsed by more than 1 in 5 males include: • • • • • When guys rape, it is usually because of their strong desire for sex. Guys don’t usually intend to force sex on a girl, but sometimes they get too sexually carried away. A lot of times, girls who say they were raped agreed to have sex and then regret it. Rape accusations are often used as a way of getting back at guys. Girls who are caught cheating on their boyfriends sometimes claim it was rape. 12 Although not as highly endorsed, one item that is particularly concerning, is the notion that “If both people are drunk, it can’t be rape”. This item was endorsed by more than 1 in 10 male respondents. If 12% of males believe that intoxication excuses, exonerates, or justifies coerced sexual contact, it can arguably account for many instances of sexual assault. Correcting such toxic beliefs—even if they “only” occur among 12% of males—can make a substantive impact on sexual violence prevention efforts. Table 11. Percentage of overall and male respondents indicating that they “agree” or “strongly agree” with specific rape myths. Overall Males If a girl is raped while she is drunk, she is at least somewhat responsible for letting things get out of hand. 8.3% 11.8% When girls go to parties wearing slutty clothes, they are asking for trouble. 8.1% 10.5% If a girl goes to a room alone with a guy at a party, it is her own fault if she is raped. 4.8% 5.8% If a girl acts like a slut, eventually she is going to get in trouble. 13.3% 18.8% When girls get raped, it’s often because the way they said “no” was unclear. 5.4% 5.9% If a girl initiates kissing or hooking up, she should not be surprised if a guy assumes she wants to have sex. 19.1% 28% When guys rape, it is usually because of their strong desire for sex. 22.5% 28.3% Guys don’t usually intend to force sex on a girl, but sometimes they get too sexually carried away. 16.1% 20.3% Rape happens when a guy’s sex drive goes out of control. 11.7% 15.7% If a guy is drunk, he might rape someone unintentionally. 15% 18.5% It shouldn’t be considered rape if a guy is drunk and didn’t realize what he was doing. 5.3% 7.3% If both people are drunk, it can’t be rape. 8.1% 12% If a girl doesn’t physically resist sex – even if protesting verbally – it can’t be considered rape. 4.5% 5.1% If a girl doesn’t physically fight back, you can’t really say it was rape. 3.2% 3.1% A rape probably doesn’t happen if a girl doesn’t have any bruises or marks. 2.7% 2.7% If the accused “rapist” doesn’t have a weapon, you can’t really call it rape. 2.5% 2.5% If a girl doesn’t say “no” she can’t claim rape. 9.4% 13.8% A lot of times, girls who say they were raped agreed to have sex and then regret it. 13.2% 21.5% Rape accusations are often used as a way of getting back at guys. 13% 21.6% A lot of times, girls who claim they were raped often led they guy on and then had regrets 11.2% 18.4% A lot of times, girls who claim they were raped have emotional problems. 11.6% 16.8% Girls who are caught cheating on their boyfriends sometimes claim it was rape. 15.6% 24.1% 13 Perceptions of Campus Climate Respondents were asked to report their perceptions regarding the campus climate in relation to sexual misconduct at UW, including their perception of how the University would handle a report of sexual misconduct and their overall feeling of safety from various forms of sexual misconduct on or around campus. These results are highlighted below. Institutional Response to Sexual Misconduct Respondents were asked to indicate both the positive and negative role UW plays in events related to sexual misconduct. Those who reported experiencing sexual misconduct were asked how UW did play a role, while those who did not report experiencing sexual misconduct were asked how UW would play a role by: Positive Roles: 1. Actively supporting you with formal or informal resources (e.g., counseling, academic services, meetings). 2. Apologizing for what happened to you. 3. Believing your report. 4. Allowing you to have a say in how your report was handled. 5. Ensuring you were treated as an important member of the institution. 6. Meeting your needs for support and accommodations. 7. Create an environment where this type of experience was safe to discuss. 8. Create an environment in which this experience was recognized as a problem. Negative Roles: 9. Not doing enough to prevent this type of experience/s. 10. Creating an environment in which this type of experience/s seemed common or normal. 11. Creating an environment in which this experience seemed more likely to occur. 12. Making it difficult to report the experience/s. 13. Responding inadequately to the experience/s, if reported. 14. Mishandling your case, if disciplinary action was requested. 15. Covering up the experience/s. 16. Denying your experience/s in some way. 17. Punishing you in some way for reporting the experience/s (e.g., loss of privileges or status). 18. Suggesting your experience/s might affect the reputation of the institution. 19. Creating an environment where you no longer felt like a valued member of the institution. 20. Creating an environment where staying at the University of Wyoming was difficult for you. 21. Responding differently to your experience/s based on your sexuality/gender. 22. Creating an environment in which you felt discriminated against based on your sexuality/gender. 23. Expressing a biased/negative attitude toward you and/or your experience/s based on your sexuality/gender. 24. Responding differently to your experience/s based on your race/ethnicity. 25. Creating an environment in which you felt discriminated against based on your race/ethnicity. 26. Expressing a biased or negative attitude toward you and/or your experience/s based on your race/ethnicity. Across all respondents, UW was most commonly perceived to play a positive role in creating an environment where sexual misconduct was safe to discuss and recognized as a problem. However, respondents who reported an experience of sexual misconduct while at UW (i.e., survivors) consistently reported that UW played less of a positive role in their experience than respondents who did not report an experience of sexual misconduct while at UW (i.e., hypothetical). Specifically, less than half of survivors reported that UW allowed them to have a say in how their report was handled and less than 1 in 3 survivors indicated that someone at UW apologized for what happened to them. 14 Percentage endorsing that UW did/would play each positive role 100 98 97 90 98 93 98 98 85 84 80 67 70 58 56 60 50 40 54 51 48 66 32 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hypothetical Survivor 7 8 Similarly, survivors of sexual misconduct were more likely than hypothetical respondents to report that UW played a negative role in their experience of sexual misconduct. Specifically, more than 1 in 4 survivors reported that UW played a negative role in their experience of sexual misconduct by: • • • • • Not doing enough to prevent this type of experience. Creating an environment in which this type of experience seemed common or normal. Creating an environment in which this type of experience seemed more likely to occur. Making it difficult to report the experience. Responding inadequately to the experience, if reported. Percentage endorsing that UW did/would play each negative role 50 40 36 31 30 29 30 26 21 20 12 13 9 10 22 20 19 12 8 7 18 17 15 14 14 11 7 5 4 4 15 16 17 5 5 19 20 8 7 7 5 5 46 4 4 22 23 24 25 26 0 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hypothetical 18 21 Survivor Overall Feeling of Safety Students rated how safe they felt on campus from various forms of sexual misconduct (i.e., harassment, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking). Table 12 denotes that, while a significant majority of male students endorsed feel safe from all forms of sexual misconduct on or around UW’s campus, 1 in 5 females do not feel safe from sexual harassment, sexual violence, or stalking. Even fewer gender non-conforming 15 students feel safe from sexual misconduct on or around UW’s campus, with less than half feeling safe from sexual harassment and dating violence (34.6% and 46.2%, respectively). Table 12. Percentage of respondents indicating that they “agree” or “strongly agree” that they feel safe from various forms of sexual misconduct at UW. Agree or Strongly Agree On or around this campus… Overall Male Female GNC I feel safe from sexual harassment. 74.9% 90.9% 67.4% 34.6% I feel safe from dating violence. 81.6% 91.1% 77.3% 46.2% I feel safe from sexual violence. 76.4% 92.6% 68.4% 53.9% I feel safe from stalking. 73.3% 87.7% 66.8% 53.9% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Students were then asked three questions about their own attitudes regarding sexual misconduct on campus, including whether they think sexual misconduct is a problem at UW, whether they think they can do anything about sexual misconduct on campus, and whether there is a need to think about the issue of sexual misconduct while in college. Table 13 demonstrates that a majority of students recognize sexual misconduct as a problem at UW; however, men are least likely to perceive it as a problem. Over 1 in 5 male and gender non-conforming students reported that there is not much they can do about sexual misconduct at UW, while men were markedly more likely to endorse not having to think about sexual misconduct while in college at 21.5%, in comparison to female (6.6%) and gender non-conforming (3.8%) peers. Table 13. Percentages of students who “agree” or “strongly agree” with items regarding sexual misconduct being a problem at UW. Agree or Strongly Agree Overall Male Female GNC I don’t think sexual misconduct is a problem at the University of Wyoming. 23.4% 37.2% 16.6% 7.5% I don’t think there is much I can do about sexual misconduct on this campus. 16.7% 22.3% 13.7% 23.0% There isn’t much need for me to think about sexual misconduct while at college. 11.7% 21.5% 6.6% 3.8% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Knowledge of Resources Students were asked a number of questions about their awareness of various resources and information available in connection with issues of sexual misconduct, including whether they recall receiving written information regarding various UW policies and procedures and whether they are aware of various UW offices and websites related to sexual misconduct. 16 As demonstrated in Table 14, slightly over half (55.5%) of all UW students know where to go to get help on campus if they or a friend experienced sexual misconduct. In contrast, less than half of all students understand what happens when a student reports a claim of sexual misconduct and even fewer students would know where to go to make a report. Across all items, and despite reporting the highest rates of sexual misconduct victimization, gender non-conforming students are the least aware of various resources and information available in connection with issues of sexual misconduct, followed by women. Table 14. Percentages of students who “agree” or “strongly agree” with items assessing awareness of resources and information related to issues of sexual misconduct. Agree or Strongly Agree Overall Men Women GNC If a friend or I experienced sexual misconduct, I know where to go to get help on campus. 55.5% 62.7% 51.9% 43.3% I understand what happens when a student reports a claim of sexual misconduct at UW. 39.5% 46.3% 36.2% 26.7% I would know where to go to make a report of sexual misconduct. 49.0% 58.4% 44.3% 36.7% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Table 15 summarizes what information students recall receiving from the University since arriving at the school. Only about half of all students reported receiving various forms of information related to sexual misconduct, with students most commonly reporting receiving information about how to prevent sexual misconduct and the student code of conduct or honor code. Generally, male students reported receiving more information from the University than their female and gender non-conforming counterparts. Unfortunately, less than half of all students reported being aware of receiving information about Title IX protections against sexual misconduct. Table 15. Percentages of students indicating they had received written information regarding sexual misconduct policies, definitions, and resources. Overall Male Female GNC Definitions of types of sexual misconduct. 53.1% 59.3% 50.1% 41.4% How to report an incident of sexual misconduct. 51.3% 60.6% 46.6% 44.8% Where to go to get help if someone you know experiences sexual misconduct. 51.3% 57.2% 58.6% 31.0% Title IX protections against sexual misconduct. 40.6% 45.1% 38.5% 27.6% How to help prevent sexual misconduct. 58.9% 64.5% 56.1% 51.7% Student code of conduct or honor code. 58.3% 65.1% 54.9% 48.3% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. 17 Respondents were also asked to rate their level of awareness of offices and resources available to students at UW in connection with issues of sexual misconduct. Less than a quarter of all UW students reported being aware of the function of the Dean of Students and Title IX Compliance offices, both of which are locations that a student can formally report a complaint about sexual misconduct. While over half of students reported being aware of the function of the University Counseling Center, less than half of students reported being aware of the functions of a variety of additional counseling, advocacy, and support resources available to students who have experienced sexual misconduct, including the office whose primary role is to provide support and information to the UW community regarding sexual misconduct (i.e., STOP Violence Program). Awareness of offices and resources was variable across gender categories. Table 16. Percentages of students responding that they are “very aware” or “extremely aware” of the function of various campus and community resources. Very Aware or Extremely Aware Overall Male Female GNC Dean of Students Office 24.9% 30.9% 21.9% 29.3% Title IX Compliance Office 20.3% 22.4% 18.8% 31.0% The Office of Employment Equity 13.2% 17.1% 11.1% 10.3% Student Legal Services 25.4% 33.1% 21.3% 31.0% University Counseling Center 55.8% 54.0% 56.4% 68.9% Counseling Education Training Clinic 23.8% 25.1% 23.0% 31.0% UW Psychology Clinic 30.0% 27.6% 39.5% 37.9% Student Health Services 60.6% 56.9% 62.8% 55.2% STOP Violence Program 35.9% 32.5% 37.9% 34.4% SAFE Project 38.1% 35.1% 39.5% 48.2% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Victim Disclosure Students who reported experiencing any type of sexual misconduct anywhere in the survey were asked if they told anybody about the incident or incidents before taking the survey. Of those who reported any stalking, IPV/DV, or sexual assault of any kind, 53.2% reported telling someone about the incident or incidents. DID YOU TELL ANYONE ABOUT THE INCIDENT BEFORE THIS SURVEY? YES: 53% NO: 47% 18 Students who indicated that they had told someone about the incident were then asked whom they had told. As demonstrated in Table 17 below, among respondents who did disclose their experience of sexual misconduct to someone else, the majority reported this experience to a well-known other, such as a close friend (89.9%), roommate (52.0%), romantic partner (36.7%), or parent (22.4%). Only 13.1% of those experiencing an assault reported their assault to a UW faculty or staff member and only 9.9% filed a complaint or made an official report with the Dean of Students or Title IX Compliance offices. Even fewer respondents reported disclosing to on- or off-campus law enforcement officials (6.7% and 4.8%, respectively). As mentioned previously, these reporting trends easily account for the difference of assault rates reported here and those that appear in formal campus crime statistic reports. Table 17. Percentages of students who spoke with someone about an incident of stalking, IPV/DV, or sexual assault. Percent Close friend 89.9 Roommate 52.0 Romantic partner 36.7 Parent or guardian 22.4 Other family member 16.9 On-campus counselor/therapist 13.4 UW faculty or staff 13.1 Dean of Student’s Office/Title IX Compliance 9.9 Stop Violence Program 7.5 Off-campus rape crisis center (SAFE Project) 7.5 Campus police department (UWPD) 6.7 Off-campus counselor/therapist 6.4 Student Health Services 4.8 Local police department (LPD) 4.8 Resident adviser or residence life staff 4.6 Off-campus doctor or nurse 3.0 Religious leader 1.3 Consent Knowledge Students were asked a number of questions that assessed beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors with respect to how sexual consent should be negotiated between sexual partners. The first two items reflect knowledge of sexual consent, while the remaining five items reflect a lack of knowledge about sexual consent. 19 As can be seen in Table 18, most respondents demonstrate a high level of knowledge about how sexual consent should be negotiated between partners. However, in comparison to women and gender nonconforming peers, males consistently demonstrated less knowledge of consent. For example, less than 80% of male respondents disagreed that “mixed signals can sometimes mean consent”. In addition, and similar to findings on rape myth acceptance, only 85.2% of male respondents disagree that “if you and your sexual partner are both drunk, you don’t have to worry about consent”. As alluded to previously in this report, the belief that there is no need to obtain consent when a sexual partner is intoxicated arguably accounts for many instances of sexual assault and can have a substantive impact on efforts to curb sexual violence. Table 18. Percentages of students reporting “agree” or “strongly agree”/“disagree” or “strongly disagree” with knowledge (or lack of knowledge) of consent. Agree or Strongly Agree Overall Male Female GNC Consent must be given at each step in a sexual encounter. 92.4% 87.7% 94.7% 100% If a person initiates sex, but during foreplay says they no longer want to, the person has not given consent to continue. 94.6% 91.6% 95.9% 100% Disagree or Strongly Disagree If a person doesn’t physically resist sex, they have given consent. 89.4% 84.2% 91.8% 100% Consent for sex one time is consent for future sex. 94.9% 91.3% 96.8% 96.1% If you and your sexual partner are both drunk, you don’t have to worry about consent. 92.1% 85.2% 95.6% 96.1% Mixed signals can sometimes mean consent. 87.5% 77.9% 92.2% 100% If someone invites you to their place, they are giving consent for sex. 95.5% 90.7% 97.9% 100% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. Bystander Intervention Behavior Students were asked a number of questions about how they behaved when they were in situations during which sexual misconduct was actively occurring or was likely to occur. Table 19 illustrates that, despite efforts to increase bystander intervention behavior in situations of sexual misconduct among college students, many students at UW report “never” or “rarely” intervening in situations where sexual misconduct is occurring or likely to occur. In comparison to female and gender non-conforming peers, males report engaging in bystander intervention behaviors the least. In fact, despite men often being in the best position to intervene with their peers, over half of male respondents reported never or rarely speaking up against sexist jokes and 1 in 3 males never or rarely intervened when a friend was being verbally or physically abusive to another person. Among all gender categories, “trying to distract someone who was trying to take a drunken person to another room or trying to get them to do something sexual” was the situation in which respondents were least likely to intervene. 20 Table 19. Percentages of students reporting that they “never” or “rarely” acted when a bystander in each situation. Never or Rarely Overall Male Female GNC Walked a friend who has had too much to drink home from a party, bar, or other social event. 22.5% 28.7% 19.1% 15.8% Talked to the friends of a drunken person to make sure they don’t leave him/her behind at a party, bar, or other social event. 20.4% 26.3% 17.0% 22.2% Spoke up against sexist jokes. 39.6% 50.7% 34.3% 12.0% Tried to distract someone who was trying to take a drunken person to another room or trying to get them to do something sexual. 40.8% 45.0% 38.2% 25.0% Ask someone who looks very upset at a party if they are okay or need help. 18.1% 35.5% 13.9% 16.7% Intervene with a friend who was being physically abusive to another person. 30.6% 32.5% 29.2% 22.2% Intervene with a friend who was being verbally abusive to another person. 27.0% 30.9% 24.5% 18.2% Note: GNC = gender non-conforming. 21 Recommendations • Intensified Prevention Programming: The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault released an initial report in 2014 affirming CDC findings that isolated/brief educational programs and online trainings are ineffective in reducing rates of sexual violence. Although such programs are an important, efficient, and cost-effective approach to disseminating information pertaining to sexual misconduct and consent, and arguably should be retained, it is clear from available research findings that they are perhaps necessary, but certainly insufficient, in impacting sexual assault rates. Such programs have been shown to increase knowledge about sexual misconduct and consent while not evidently reducing sexual assault rates. The CDC has released a technical package to prevent sexual violence with excellent recommendations for evidence-based approaches to reducing sexual assault (Basile et al., 2016). In particular, more intensive bystander intervention programs, including Bringing in the Bystander and Green Dot, have been shown to not only improve knowledge and understanding (similar to online educational programs) but also increase bystander intervention behaviors and reduce rates of harassment and sexual misconduct perpetration on college campuses. Given the prevalence of sexual misconduct identified in this survey, serious consideration should be given to these more substantive and intensive prevention programming approaches. This technical package can be accessed via the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/SV-Prevention-Technical-Package.pdf. Recommendations for comprehensively preventing and addressing campus sexual misconduct have also been recently advanced by the CDC (Dills, Fowler, & Payne, 2016): https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/campussvprevention.pdf. It will be difficult to appreciably reduce the prevalence of sexual misconduct at UW without enhancing prevention resources and efforts. • Continued Improvement in Promoting Visibility of Reporting Mechanisms and Processes: The University of Wyoming has recently enhanced visibility of reporting options and information by improving the reporting website (http://www.uwyo.edu/reportit/) and disseminating information about reporting. Nevertheless, in addition to a general lack of awareness of various resources and information available in connection with issues of sexual misconduct, there were a great many comments in the open-ended responses at the end of this report indicating continued confusion about what to report, how to report, and what one’s rights and responsibilities are. This underscores the importance of sexual misconduct information and programming being intensified and distributed more regularly throughout students’ experiences. It may well be that information that students initially demonstrate understanding of through online trainings is forgotten over time. Continued efforts to clarify and inform the campus community about reporting and university responses and resources will be critical in the years ahead. • Greater Post-Assault Support for Survivors: Sexual assault is associated with especially high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other emotional and psychological consequences. As reviewed by Yuan, Koss and Stone (2006), studies of sexual assault survivors have yielded PTSD rates ranging from 30% to 65%. Rates of depression and substance abuse are also much higher among survivors of sexual assault relative to the general population. Given that 1 in 3 UW women in our survey reported a sexual assault victimization experience—with 1 in 5 of those being an act of completed rape—the number of survivors experiencing significant emotional and psychological consequences of assault is arguably in the hundreds. Effective treatment of PTSD and other sequelae of sexual violence requires evidence-based, best practice approaches, rather than broad 22 supportive counseling (https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/ptsd.pdf). The sole clinic on campus that routinely provides the treatment approaches strongly recommended by the American Psychological Association in addressing PTSD based on the best available research typically reaches client capacity during fall semester and runs a waitlist the rest of the year. Increased therapy resources and capacity are critical in addressing survivors’ mental health needs in a timely fashion. • Continue to Improve Timeliness of University Investigation and Response: Numerous open-ended comments at the end of this document pertained to delayed and/or unsatisfactory responses to sexual misconduct reports. It is important to note that respondents to this survey reported assaults occurring up to several years ago. Accordingly, it is unclear what percentage of these comments pertain to incidents and university responses that predate current policies and personnel tasked with responding to incidents of sexual misconduct experienced by UW students. Encouragingly, UW has already increased capacity to respond in a timely and effective manner with the hiring of additional investigators within the past year. This enhancement should improve response quality and timeliness going forward. Nevertheless, continued emphasis on timely and effective responding will be important to monitor and prioritize. 23 Acknowledgements The data committee of the UW Sexual Misconduct Task Force (i.e., Dr. Matt J. Gray, Tess M. Kilwein, Kendal C. Binion, and Stephanie Amaya) were primarily responsible for the collection and analysis of the data presented in this document. However, the work on sexual misconduct at UW, and in particular, this survey, has required dedication from many members of the UW community. Therefore, we would like to extend our gratitude to all who donated incentives for the survey, members of the UW Sexual Misconduct Task Force, and the dedicated professionals in the following offices: • • • • • • • • Office of the President Division of Student Affairs Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Stop Violence Program Residence Life and Dining Services Fraternity and Sorority Life Army and Air Force ROTC University of Wyoming Athletics Most importantly, however, we would like to thank the survivors of sexual misconduct at UW. Without your bravery and resilience, the work to combat sexual violence at UW would be non-existent. Thank you for pushing us to do more. 24 Conclusion While many of the findings outlined in this report may be alarming, they are not unique to the University of Wyoming. Rather, they reflect the larger culture of sexual violence on college campuses across the country. This presents a crucial and enormous challenge to the University of Wyoming. While efforts to change the climate surrounding sexual violence will take far more than a campus climate survey, it is our hope that the findings from this report, and the subsequent recommendations, will assist the University in current and future efforts to combat sexual violence. It is our belief that positive change comes from difficult conversations, and most importantly, listening to the lived experience of survivors. While we will continue to share the findings of this report with partners across campus and within the community in order to inform prevention, education, and response efforts, it is crucial that we continue to regularly survey the student body on issues related to sexual misconduct. Our commitment to this work must continue until every survivor feels supported and empowered, and until every member of the University of Wyoming community embraces the same goal: that sexual violence can and must be eliminated from the University of Wyoming. 25 References Basile, K. C., DeGue, S., Jones, K., Freire, K., Dills, J., Smith, S. G., & Raiford, J. L. (2016). STOP SV: A technical package to prevent sexual violence. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dills, J., Fowler, D., & Payne, G. (2016). Sexual violence on campus: Strategies for prevention. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fisher, B. S., Cullen, F. T. & Turner, M. G. (2000). The sexual victimization of college women. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, and Bureau of Justice Statistics. Johnson, L. G., & Beech, A. (2017). Rape myth acceptance in convicted rapists: A systematic review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 34, 20-34. Lisak, D., & Miller, P. M. (2002). Repeat rape and multiple offending among undetected rapists. Violence and Victims, 17(1), 73. McMahon, S., & Farmer, G. L. (2011). An updated measure for assessing subtle rape myths. Social Work Research, 35(2), 71-81. Muehlenhard, C. L., Peterson, Z. D., Humphreys, T. P., & Jozkowski, K. N. (2017). Evaluating the one-in-five statistic: Women’s risk of sexual assault while in college. The Journal of Sex Research, 54(4-5), 549576. Sillito, C. (2012). Gendered physical and emotional health consequences of situational couple violence for heterosexual married and cohabiting couples. Feminist Criminology, 7(4), 255-281. Yuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., & Stone, M. (2006). The psychological consequences of sexual trauma. Harrisburg, PA: Violence Against Women Network, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. Available at: http://www.vawnet.org. 26 Appendices University of Wyoming Athletics Outcomes Overall, 290 student athletes responded to the survey and 75.52% of those (N = 219) completed the entire survey. Participants were 53.3% male, 43.8% female, and 2.9% gender non-conforming. Given the small number of respondents identifying as gender non-conforming, victimization and perpetration rates are not reported for this group in order to maintain confidentiality. They are, however, included in overall rates. As noted in Table 20, over 1 in 4 student athletes endorsed experiencing the broadest definition of sexual assault (i.e., any nonconsensual sexual touching or attempted/completed rape), with over 1 in 10 males and 1 in 3 females reporting an assault during their time at UW. Excluding nonconsensual sexual touching, over 1 in 5 respondents reported a completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape since entering UW, with this variant of assault being reported by over a quarter of female respondents. Finally, when confining analyses only to individuals reporting that they have experienced a completed oral, anal, or vaginal rape during their time at UW, 17.6% reported such an experience, with this rate being nearly 1 in 4 among female respondents. Comparatively, both male and female student athletes at UW experience sexual assault at similar rates as the general student population, with females experiencing slightly higher rates of completed rape at 24.8% (vs. 19.4%). Table 20. Percentage of student athletes reporting victimization of sexual assault. Overall Male Female Victim of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration 27.1% 13.3% 35.0% Victim of at least one instance of completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual touching) 22.2% 8.4% 29.9% Victim of at least one instance of completed oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual sexual touching and attempted, but not completed, rape) 17.6% 4.8% 24.8% As with the general student population, perpetration rates for student athletes (see Table 21) do not appear to accord with victimization rates for the same reasons described earlier in this report. Comparatively, student athlete endorsement of perpetration is equivalent to the general student population (2.3%), with males endorsing slightly higher rates at 4.8% (vs. 3.1%) and females endorsing slightly lower rates at 0.7% (vs. 1.9%). Table 21. Percentage of student athletes reporting perpetration of sexual assault. Perpetrator of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration Overall Male Female 2.3% 4.8% 0.7% 27 Army and Air Force ROTC Outcomes Overall, 138 Army and Air Force ROTC cadets responded to the survey and 81.20% of those (N = 112) completed the entire survey. Participants identified as 53.3% male, 43.8% female, and 2.9% gender nonconforming. Given the small number of respondents identifying as gender non-conforming, victimization and perpetration rates are not reported for this group in order to maintain confidentiality. They are, however, included in overall rates. As noted in Table 22, over 1 in 3 ROTC cadets endorsed the broadest definition of sexual assault (i.e., any nonconsensual sexual touching or attempted/completed rape), with over 1 in 10 males and well over half of females reporting an assault during their time at UW. Excluding nonconsensual sexual touching, rates remain similar, with 1 in 3 respondents and over half of females reporting a completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape since entering UW. Finally, when confining analyses only to individuals reporting that they have experienced a completed oral, anal, or vaginal rape during their time at UW, 24.8% reported such an experience, with this rate being 44.0% among female respondents. Comparatively, female ROTC cadets at UW experience all variants of sexual assault at alarmingly higher rates than the general student population, with rates among ROTC females nearly doubling those of females in the general student population for all variants of sexual assault. Male ROTC cadets reported experiencing similar rates of sexual assault as males in the general student population. Table 22. Percentage of ROTC cadets reporting victimization of sexual assault. Overall Male Female Victim of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration 32.7% 11.7% 58.0% Victim of at least one instance of completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual touching) 28.3% 8.3% 52.0% Victim of at least one instance of completed oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual sexual touching and attempted, but not completed, rape) 24.8% 8.3% 44.0% As with the general student population, perpetration rates for ROTC cadets (see Table 23) do not appear to accord with victimization rates for the same reasons described earlier in this report. Comparatively, ROTC cadet endorsement of perpetration is slightly higher than the general student population (2.7% vs. 2.3%, respectively), with males endorsing lower rates at 0% (vs. 3.1%) and females endorsing higher rates at 6.0% (vs. 1.9%). It is very unlikely that any group—including, but not limited to, ROTC—truly has a 0% perpetration rate. Comments in the open-ended response section of the survey included references to experiences of sexual violence perpetrated by male ROTC cadet(s). Accordingly, as with low perpetration rates for both the student body as a whole and specific student groups, it is likely the case that those who have perpetrated either did not take the survey or denied behaviors that qualify as sexual misconduct. Table 23. Percentage of ROTC cadets reporting perpetration of sexual assault. Perpetrator of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration Overall Male Female 2.7% 0% 6.0% 28 Fraternity and Sorority Life Outcomes Overall, 363 Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) students responded to the survey and 73.55% of those (N = 267) completed the entire survey. Participants identified as 34.4% male, 65.3 % female, and 0.3% gender non-conforming. Given the small number of respondents identifying as gender non-conforming, victimization and perpetration rates are not reported for this group in order to maintain confidentiality. They are, however, included in overall rates. As noted in Table 24, over 1 in 3 FSL students endorsed the broadest definition of sexual assault (i.e., any nonconsensual sexual touching or attempted/completed rape), with 40.6% of females and a quarter of males reporting an assault during their time at UW. Excluding nonconsensual sexual touching, a quarter of respondents reported a completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape since entering UW, including nearly 1 in 3 females and 15.7% of males. Finally, when confining analyses only to individuals reporting that they have experienced a completed oral, anal, or vaginal rape during their time at UW, 17.4% reported such an experience, with this rate being 17.4% among female respondents and over 1 in 10 male respondents. Comparatively, both male and female FSL students at UW experience all variants of sexual assault at higher rates than the general student population, with the exception of slightly lower rates of completed rape for females. Notably, FSL men reported experiencing sexual assault at nearly double the rate of men in the general student population (25.0% vs. 12.8%, respectively). Table 24. Percentage of FSL students reporting victimization of sexual assault. Overall Male Female Victim of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration 36.2% 25.0% 40.6% Victim of at least one instance of completed or attempted oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual touching) 25.0% 15.7% 29.4% Victim of at least one instance of completed oral, vaginal, or anal rape (excluding nonconsensual sexual touching and attempted, but not completed, rape) 17.4% 10.1% 17.4% As with the general student population, perpetration rates for FSL students (see Table 25) do not appear to accord with victimization rates for the same reasons described earlier in this report. Comparatively, FSL student endorsement of perpetration is higher than that of the general student population (4.0% vs. 2.3%, respectively), with females endorsing slightly higher rates at 2.7% (vs. 1.9%) and males endorsing double the rate of perpetration at 6.9% (vs. 3.1%). Table 25. Percentage of FSL students reporting perpetration of sexual assault. Perpetrator of at least one instance of unwanted sexual touching, penetration, or attempted penetration Overall Male Female 4.0% 6.9% 2.7% 29 Open-Ended Responses Participants were allowed to provide additional information about UW’s climate related to sexual misconduct in an open field. Comments were broadly categorized by the researchers based on content, though some comments include content that falls under multiple categories. In addition, a few comments were not able to be easily categorized, and are therefore included in an “additional comments” section at the end of the open-ended responses. • • • • • • • • • Appreciation: comments related to appreciation for UW’s level of safety from sexual misconduct, current efforts to combat sexual misconduct, and/or the conduction of this survey specifically Response: comments related to UW’s response to sexual misconduct, including actual or perceived reporting and access to resources after an experience related to sexual misconduct Personal Experience: comments related to a personal experience of sexual misconduct, including sexual misconduct experienced by friends and family members Student Groups: comments related to sexual misconduct perpetrated by specific student groups Recommendations: comments related to specific recommendations to make UW safer from sexual misconduct, improve university response to sexual misconduct, etc. Male Bias: comments related to a biased perception of men as perpetrators and women as victims Faculty/Staff: comments related to sexual misconduct perpetrated by UW faculty and staff Un-relatable: comments related to survey content/sexual misconduct itself being un-relatable Unsafe: comments related to feeling unsafe from sexual misconduct at UW A small number of comments (less than 1%) were removed by the researchers, including “N/A” or irrelevant responses, those that commented solely on survey content and not UW’s climate related to sexual misconduct, and those that included personally identifiable information of others. When possible, names were replaced with pronouns and comments were retained. A very small number of comments were deleted if they consisted only of ad hominem attacks without specifying the nature or basis of their concern or source of dissatisfaction. Appreciation - - - - I drink and go to bars and house parties almost every weekend and have never seen or witnessed an actual sexual assault. I've seen situations where it could happen and every time someone has stepped in. I have heard and made sexist comments before and women are also sexist at times. I believe this is an important matter, but I believe that this university would rank in the bottom on events of this category. At least in my 4 for years of being here. I feel overall, very safe at UW and have had no difficulties staying away from sexual misconduct. I feel safe. I think that UW is doing a great job to put sexual misconduct to an end. I would say UW is very concerned about sexual misconduct and I do not feel unsafe going to this school in that way. I feel safer at this campus than I did at my last college campus. The University seems to do a decent job with these issues, certainly not the worst. To be honest, I have heard about two sexual assault on campus since I have been at UW. Which is good and I hope it’s true that it doesn’t actually happen often here. University of Wyoming is much safer than my previous college campus. UW does a great job of providing and protecting all students from violence. Wyoming is tough about this stuff but I also don’t have experience with it Very safe city, I would recommend all freshmen get a sexual misconduct class, where they learn that having sex drunk is forbidden, it is not allowed. There is nothing I want to talk about. Since I moved here for college my school year has been great and there was no problem or sexual assault or harassment. 30 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The main source of my feeling of safety are the emergency kiosks located all around campus, but I have also never had to use one, so it is only a surface-level comfort. This campus is the safest campus I have been one. I have attended five universities in the past. They were all less safe than this one, but this campus has done more to actively prevent and discuss sexual misconduct than any other university I have attended. I find that the University of Wyoming makes me feel very safe, and I have never had a bad experience on the campus while in between classes. The bad experiences I have had were all when I was walking by a road, usually in the evening. I have been called to and yelled at (cat called) on many occasions while walking near a main road, and some students may not realize that this is unwelcome and threatening behavior. I would suggest including this type of education in the "Haven" course that is required for freshman, by including the information that this is also a form of sexual harassment. Sexual misconduct is a hard topic to discuss as well as research. That does not mean that it should be "swept under the rug". This survey alone makes me feel safer about sexual misconduct because it acknowledges and implies that something is being done about sexual misconduct at UW. So thank you. I just came back to UW from a 15 year absence. I appreciate the extent UW is going. I feel like sexual conduct is a big issue in college students and this should be something more talked about. I think a large problem is the amount of binge drinking that takes place and how some people take advantage of others when intoxicated I think certain events at the University of Wyoming have shaped the climate. One strong example is the woman who filed a sexual harrassment charge about a comment on the UW Crushes site. It was later found that the woman had typed and submitted the harrassing comment herself. I think this woman made it harder for other woman to be legitimized in their accusations. It's great the University is investigating sexual misconduct! Thank you! Please expand this study to examine implicit biases and stereotyping as well. I am so thankful this type of study is being done at UW. I do not feel this is an issue that is taken seriously enough, and I know that I am one of several of my friends who has experienced sexual harassment, misconduct, violence at UW who does not report it because those we know who have reported it have had their lives made much harder and much worse because of their report. Thank you for doing this. I think it is great that the university is looking into these issues more and having discussions about how to fix them. Wyoming has a better culture than other universities I know of but there is always room for improvement. I think that it is really commendable that the university is trying to crack down on sexual misconduct and harassment because this is so incredibly important. This kind of stuff happens on all college campuses every day and it is a problem that needs to be addressed. I've had a few *relatively* minor encounters with sexual harassment but nothing to damaging, but I do have a couple friends who have been assaulted and have had to go to the police. It is really distressing and I'm glad that things are being done here at my college about this awful issue. The sexual misconduct reports that we get in our emails are very helpful. They open my eyes that this is a serious reality in my community. I thought this survey was very important and useful! I think it is important that the University continues to do surveys like this in the future because it allows people in the University community to have a voice and it can help the University know how to help victims in the future and help educate people about sexual and relationship violence. Although I myself have not experienced sexual assault at UW, I understand it is a long-standing issue at universities across the nation. Fortunately, I have never had any experiences with being sexually assaulted or harassed, as you can see by my responses. The unfortunate truth is that this is probably because I'm a straight Caucasian male. I hope that my responses were still helpful though, for this is an incredible cause you're working on. Hopefully studies like this will help lead to a world where everyone can feel safe on campuses, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, etc. Thank you Thank you for conducting this survey. Thank you for conducting this survey. I look forward to seeing the results. Thank you for doing this, as a man I am aware of my privilege. This and other issues need to continue to be researched on campus. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS. MUCH BETTER THAN THE STUFF REQUIRED WITH ALCOHOLEDU Thank you for giving people the opportunity to speak out against sexual misconduct. Thank you, President Nichols, for wanting to do something to address this :) 31 - I think UW does a good job. My daughter was raped at another university, and in comparison, I have been impressed with the responsiveness and sensitivity of UW. Thanks! University Response - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I have a friend who was sexually assaulted by another student. She reported it and she is the one that got in trouble with the university! So, yeah I know who I should inform if something were to happen but why the hell would I when I know how they have treated cases in the past. When I know they are going to mishandle the investigation and there is a possibility that I could get in trouble or owe money back to the university when I was the one that was violated. Although I have not reported any of my experiences with sexual misconduct, I have several friends who have and UWPD did absolutely nothing about it, and no action was taken. I have several friends who received no justice for the sexual assault/misconduct they experienced. It's truly unbelievable to me how much this university mishandles these cases, and this makes me feel extremely unsafe. I feel most students on campus don't fully understand sexual assault or how to get help if they have been in that type of situation. I think that there isn’t enough done to inform on different types of misconduct or misconduct between lgbt people. My friend was given hickeys when he asked his ex-partner not to which forced him to come out to his parents and he still excuses that behavior like it was okay. I think it is important for University students to be educated more on ways people can protect themselves or intervene for others when they are at locations away from campus, such as private parties and bars especially. I think it needs to be obvious what resources are available to help students who have been victims of sexual misconduct before attending UW. I think the administration here is relatively serious when it comes to misconduct claims, but I think a lot of the student body does not feel appropriately about misconduct. I think the idea of alcohol and party situations requiring "less" consent between partners is something a lot of people here believe, and being someone with an alcohol-related misconduct experience I can say that I would not disclose it to anyone I didn't know very personally here, just because of the way I think most of the student body views that sort of issue. If there was sexual misconduct on or off campus, I would report the incident to campus police. It is important to show victims of sexual misconduct that their reports are important. Lots of victims don't report incidents and don't get the help they need because of the stigma of being a victim. Most people don’t report sexual violence because Wyoming police departments don’t deal with rape cases well. The girl is always blamed and nothing ever happens. It’s just not worth it. Not so much information as a plea: For the love of God, be more open to providing resources for underage students. The mountain of paperwork one has to go through as an underage student to report anything or get support for anything is absolutely prohibitive. When I was raped the people who assaulted me did not care that I was underage, they did not go and have my parents sign a consent form before they hurt me. Maybe the university should take a page from their book. I believe the University of Wyoming does not do enough to encourage victims of sexual misconduct and sexual violence to come forward and seek help. The University does not put enough effort or resources into informing students about the resources that are available to them should they experience sexual violence or misconduct. What sexual misconduct is and resources for it need to be more widely known. Also it would be a good idea to teach all students some techniques to reduce the risk of this occurring to them. Overall, there needs to be more information shared to everyone. UW staff is all talk and no action. When I was assaulted they made big promises and never followed through. The only really helpful people at the university are [names redacted]. Everyone else only gave false hope and caused more trauma. Before coming to the University I had multiple experiences that I did not realize were a problem and that I should have reported at the time. I am thankful for the awareness that is being spread at the university but believes that it needs to be started earlier in a child's life. students should be offered more information on what to do/ where to go if any of the incidences mentioned were to happen. Overall, I feel that there is a very safe and supportive environment at the University of Wyoming. However, I do wish I knew more about where I could go to get help if myself or someone I know experienced sexual misconduct. Recently, a report was made by a woman who was sexually harrassed and the university did not impress me with how they handled it. although i have never had a negative experience, I would not feel confident in the University's protection over me if I did have an issue The biggest problem I see is that there is not enough dissemination of information involving resources, reporting, and definitions. 32 - - - - - - - - - - The situation where I felt taken advantage of was in my dorm room. I don't think there was enough resources or communication on floors about how horrible sexual harassment/violence really is. My floor never discussed these things and I wasn't the only person affected on my floor. we were affected by different men, but it still bothers me that multiple instances happened just on my floor. (also given that my friends told me, i'm sure not all of them would have said anything) And then I think about how if that much is just one one floor, what is going on in the entire building? I don't know how or what can fix these things, but they're not fun for anyone to go through. The SAFE Project and STOP Violence Office are awesome. The on-campus sexual assault support group is awesome. My experience with reporting my sexual assault was extremely confusing. I was assaulted by someone from another school while on a school-sponsored event, and I know the Dean's office was trying to be helpful but ultimately ended up confusing me to the point where I waited a few months to report to my perpetrator's school because I didn't understand the process for Title IX complaints at all. After I was assaulted on this trip, I was called into the Dean's office to discuss this and it felt more like punishment than help. The university is completely oblivious to the potential of cyber crimes. When reported about hacking phones, email, messages, and snapchats, UWPD completely disregarded the report and the events that took place as impossible to have occurred. The University of Wyoming is doing a great job regarding awareness of these issues. But I feel like the university should be more creative to make people get involved in sexual education. Particularly, they should educate international students more. The UWPD doesn't do anything to stop sexual harassment and violence. In fact, I have friends who were stalked and harassed by the UWPD. Their first priority is handing out UACA tickets to college students. I placed a report on the person who raped me and another on a person who sexually assaulted me, and I agreed to the dean of students’ urges that I place a no-contact order on the person who raped me. She was extremely unprofessional, she did not inform me of the ins and outs of the no-contact order, and because the person who raped me was literally ignoring their phone calls and emails, they told me that they may have to wait until next semester to implement the order because summer vacation was coming up - he also did a no-show to one of the appointments. I was the one who had to keep calling in and checking up on the progress they made, and the dean of students made me feel like my case was a burden and like I wasn’t worth the effort. I can remember feeling nothing but anxiety and regret during those weeks of school because nobody was following through with an order that the dean pressured me to do in the first place. It was a few weeks after the report that the no-contact was finally placed, I was given no paperwork or means of information on the order despite me asking, and the most information and communication I got on this was from volunteers at the SAFE project, who were as helpful as they could have been compared to the dean and her office. The dean sent me two emails, describing how cordial and complicit my rapist was when they finally got him to attend an appointment to place the order, which to this day I have no idea what could have possessed her to send those to me. He broke it two weeks later or so when a friend caught him wandering aimlessly around the visual arts building by himself - he has no reason to be there but I’m there a great majority of the time since art isn’t my major - office doors closed, “looking lost”, and he jumped and hurried off when my friend shouted after him. I also caught him driving past the visual arts building several times, but it stopped after my friend caught him inside. I really hope the University takes the time to recognize the different levels of sexual harassment and how to properly respond in each situation. I had a friend who I thought was somewhat cute and interesting. I later found out they had been either physical assaulted or raped earlier in their life. When I found this out, it made much more sense why they felt uncomfortable why ever I was being flirtatious or playful around them. Especially for freshman / sophomore level males, it can be really difficult to talk to women; especially at social events. I believe this will be made worse if men believe their advances can be called sexual harassment if the women doesn't approve. In short, in order to identify and persecute sexual misconduct, it is important that the definition of sexual harassment, assault, and rape are not defined solely by the victim but by an institution as a whole. I recently had a friend who was sexually assaulted via stalking and blackmailing. She reported the incident to the University and they essentially told her to "get over it". I have had no bad experiences yet myself dealing with sexual assault. But this does not make me feel confident that I would be safe or cared for in the event that it were to happen to me. I recently was made aware of a situation with a friend of mine who reported a sexual assault to the University. It involved harassment with nude photos that she had taken of herself, and when it was reported she was essentially told that she shouldn't have had the pictures on her phone. The man who assaulted her did not suffer any consequences, and she was made to feel like she did something wrong. This is a HUGE problem and leads to girls not feeling safe to report things like this to the people that should be helping. It's never okay to blame the victim. In my case, initial reports often fell on deaf ears, but subsequent attempts to report to people with more authority were handled well. 33 - - - - - - - - - - - - I feel that University tries very hard to make its students feel safe. However, especially for women, there is always a concern of misconduct or stalking, so making resources such as counseling more available might be helpful. I feel uninformed about procedures of reporting and resources for victims of sexual violence. I had a friend who recently came to the Dean of Students at the university because she was being sexually harassed. She had nude photos on her phone of herself and someone she knew hacked her phone and removed the pictures to use for himself. He then told her that if she did not have sex with him that he would send the pictures to everyone that they knew. These threats were made in person. She sought help from the university and the police department. Basically both told her that there was nothing that they could do about the situation and that her word meant nothing to them. Nothing would happen to the student and nothing would come of the claim. My friends boyfriend then confronted the individual and the two had an altercation. Her boyfriend was suspended but still nothing happened to the student that this happened to. The Dean of Students himself blamed the victim for having the photos, which she has every right to have of herself, on her phone. The Dean of Students had even said to her "didn't you know he would take those pictures?" This instance is one of the many reasons that if I ever had an experience like she did, or if I was ever raped or being harassed, I would NEVER come to the university for help. I would be too afraid of getting blamed for the problem. STOP BLAMING THE VICTIM OF THE ASSULT, UW!!!! THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE. I had a friend who was stalked and had a restraining order through the University. When the stalker appeared at her house and she called the University, you did not take her seriously. This happened twice, the second time she called my friends and I because you wouldn't protect her. I have no faith in the University's restraining orders, or protective initiatives. I told my boss at work and she had me file an incident report. She still has not gone over it with the man and I feel like no one cares. I was a resident assistant at UW for a year so I have taken a lot more classes and been given a lot more information about sexual assault, Stop, Aware, Bystander Program, etc. than the average UW student. A lot of the information that the students get about it is by email, which is a great way to reach a lot of students but a lot of students also don't thoroughly read them. When it has information about how to report, Title IX, etc. at the bottom, students have already stopped reading/paying attention by then. I was almost sexually assaulted. I did not report it because there was no evidence and I figured no one would believe me. I don't even know where I would go to report something like this. I work in an office on campus that directly helps individuals who have submitted claims, and I am proud of the way they are handled. Everything I have witnessed is looked at by the University to provided all necessary support to people in need (emotional, physical, etc.) and I continue to let my friends and people around know about how important stopping harassment on campus is, and the importance of reporting things that make people feel uncomfortable; including other people's words and actions, posters, online bullying, etc. I would like the resources to report my sexual assult if I can garuntee it will be handled seriously I would like to state that while visiting Student Health back in 2014, one of the doctors asked if I learned how to be safer when discussing a rape. That put the blame on me and bothered me for years. That should never happen ever again to a student. I have heard of many cases of women reporting sexual assualt and the University of Wyoming has shamed them and not punished those who have committed sexual assualt. People on campus should know who to avoid and look out for. Those who commit sexual assualt should be punished for their actions. I have not had first hand exposure to sexual misconduct but know numerous women who have. Of the one specific report to University of Wyoming that I know of, from what I can tell, no action has been taken against the man I have only experienced one person on campus who reported a sexual assault (off campus, but by another student) and they had a very negative experience. I have had one other experience with a person who experienced sexual assault (off campus, but by another student) and did not report it because she felt it would not be treated seriously and she would be "at fault". I think this is similar to many people's feelings about sexual assault reports - that it is not worth reporting. Administrators may have "resources" about this, however it was definitely not them that helped. It was friends that did. Personal Experience - - - I have never had sex or tried to have sex with anyone. Sexual abuse is something I care about due to an unfortunate experience with a family member when I was young. I have been raped twice while at the University of Wyoming. Once in undergrad and once in grad school. Neither took place on campus. I know a lot of people who have been sexually assaulted, stalked, and attacked on this campus and it doesn't really seem like the university gives a real shit most of the time. We need to fix it. 34 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I have worked for a department on campus for a few years now. During that time I have observed on multiple occasions leniency given to myself and my male coworkers that is not given to my female coworkers. To boil it down, I don't believe I have been yelled at once while I have worked in this department, and I am aware that my female coworkers are yelled at on a weekly basis. In general, this is a problem that I see throughout the campus, yet is commonly subtle enough to not be punished... which is a problem. Last semester, a friend of mine filed sexual misconduct against someone. The misconduct charge was dropped because his mother works on campus and intervened. I was upset to hear this from the victim, who has tried to stay away from him as best as possible but who has not had complete university support. Many of these questions are difficult because they invite discussion. Much of the violence I experienced from partners in college was verbal, and repeated. This survey tends to write off repeat offenders and focuses on quantifying the problem. I deal with sexual aggression all the time on and off campus, at work and at home, but the most damaging of all my circumstances have been the partners that have left a psychological, emotional tell intentionally. That is not being physically molested at a bar, for instance, but it is comparatively demeaning and frightening. My answers for girls using rape as an out for regretting sex later on may be skewed because I have had two different friends who have had girls say they were raped when it was consensual. One was a girl who's parents found out and didn't approve so she butchered the story and said she didn't "really want to", and the other was a girl who was upset that my friend broke up with her so she claimed he was raped. Both times there was ample evidence through texts, witnesses, etc. that the accusations were luckily dropped. My experience was with sexist comments (I thought) during my teaching evaluations. As a graduate student I had to teach an undergraduate introductory course, and I thought my evaluations were very gender biased with regard to my demeanor, the way I spoke, my perceived confidence, etc. I know the evaluation process is intentionally anonymous, but I was surprised by how much gender specific bias I experienced in that process. When I was being approached by the man who was making me feel uncomfortable several times, the GA for the area quickly took care of it and asked him to leave. I am still afraid that - despite three years having past - that a I will encounter a former partner of mine that threatened my life during our relationship on campus and that he will hurt me or my current partner. Because (at the last I knew) he wasn’t a student, I don’t feel that there is anything that I can do in relation to seeking help from campus authorities. I am taking this survey because I know of a student that was sexually harassed and blackmailed. She was told by UW administration that it was her fault these things had happened to her. The student that did this to her faced no consequences, and she has to see him on campus quite often. I am disgusted that UW claims they want to stop sexual assault, but blame students when they are sexually harassed. I think this is a very important topic to be researching, and that is why I am happy to take part in this study. But I also know of multipul occasions where in the dorms here there was a case of sexual misconduct or rape and the person who committed the act was simply moved to another dorm. I know one of the people in my dorm sexually assaulted a girl in another dormant was moved here. I also know none of the girls in my dorm know about this which is negligent because we are now living in the same hall as a predator. This is negligent on the universities side, as you are not fixing the problem, only putting more people at risk. I think this survey should have included if you've seen your friends/roommates partake in any sexual misconduct. While I haven't experienced sexual violence, I know people that have. When I was raped it was a drugging and I know this has happened to other girls. Whilst I have not ever experienced a violent sexual misconduct incident, I experience the culture surrounding sexual misconduct and sexism very often. I have had sexual and sexist remarks made to me on multiple occasions, especially when males know that I am a strong proponent of women’s rights. Males try to challenge me because of this fact and this is very representative of how men at the University of Wyoming view women. I am a gay male student. I was on a date once while attending the university. He tried to drug me. Then spread rumors about me to the community. I also don’t feel safe off of campus. And feel uneasy on campus. I’m afraid of being attacked. I am a non-trad student working on an online degree. I have very little experience on campus. However, my daughter was enrolled at UW in the Fall '17 and managed to involve herself in a sex-trafficking ring in Laramie. It was run out of the kitchen [of a local restaurant]. The result for my daughter was a mental breakdown and 6 weeks in a psych ward. She is bipolar which we are dealing with, and which certainly played a part in her decision-making skills. However, there are predators in Laramie looking for young women. I wish you Godspeed in catching the creeps and making the campus safe. A roommate/friend had an encounter with a man on our floor. He was forcing himself upon her and tried to kiss her. It started in the Orr basement hallway from Washakie. He started to flirt with her then tried to bring her closer to him by the time they rode up in the elevator he cornered her and was trying to kiss her. Luckily she got off on the first floor and was able to escape. She has been tormented by this unfortunate event. She has moved out, but myself and two other girls(for 35 - - - - - - - - - - sure) still live [location redacted] with [the alleged perpetrator]. We are scared and want him out, we have made other friends on the floor and (one of them) cannot move out due to disability. We are happy, but our “alarm bells” go off whenever we see him. Also, one of us has been harassed by him on Snapchat. We reported this, but someone how he managed not to violate the misconduct code due to he “stopped”. This is ridiculous, he only stopped because she was able to push away from him and run away. We want security cameras in the basement hallways and other public spots(such as the lobby) of the halls. Please look into this because who knows if he’s already attacked someone else. As a 6’3” male I don’t walk around in fear that anyone on campus could harm me. I have a size and sex advantage. If I was a 5’3” female, I would be a lot more worried all of the time. As far as the groping I experienced on campus, I’ve had drunk women grab a hold of or rub my butt from behind only to turn and see a group of 2 or more ladies walking away across the venue, this makes it impossible to tell who it was that did it, but it is a pretty unwanted sexual advance that happens all to often for me and I wanted it to be noted. Have a great day :) I personally have been surrounded by sexual assault and harassment in the past few months on this campus. After watching one of my best friends be sexually harassed and the school as well as the police department told here there was nothing they could do for her because it was her word against his I was disgusted with the system we have in place. My friend has to walk around campus and run into her assailant and the university won't do anything to help her. I am also disgusted with the way the university has handled this case after they told her that "she shouldn't have put herself in that situation", and yes that is a direct quote from the DEAN OF STUDENTS. This university has a problem, sexual assault and harassment unfortunately will not being going anywhere anytime soon, however the staff put in place who handle these situations obviously need to be replaced if not educated on how to treat victims of sexual harassment and assault. Overall if I had to give the University of Wyoming a grade on their efforts to stop/prevent/help victims of sexual assault and harassment they would fail. I think sexual harassment can also be done not only by students of wyoming. In my experience with my University in [University name redacted], the people of adjoining communities are troublesome and violence. They disturb you girls not only snatching their phones, lab tops etc but also either do or attempt to have sex with them. This survey is good but in the subsequent survey, i request questions are asked to know if the adjoining communities of wyoming are also doing something of this sort to our students. It is possible a sexual assault/ rape may happened but the culprit is not a student here but the lady just visited without knowing she would be trapped. I understand there have been a few sexual assault claims on campus this year. Taking this surgery made me realize that I have been harassed more than I noticed. I had an abusive boyfriend who I met at UW, luckily i was strong enough to realize what was happening. I'm not gay but gay dudes are into me sometimes and it's weird and definitely not a good time. some graduate student in psych clinic was seeing me for PTSD bc of past sexual abuse/ a incident at my old college my old RA helped and offered to go with me to a session... I've heard about the case of one male trying to blackmail another female student into having sex with him using nude photos off her phone that were not his. The dean of students failed to do anything and put blame on the female. After hearing this story I feel way less safe at UW and feel, as a woman, we need to be supported as male counterparts would be. I am extremely disappointed in this campus. I was stalked by two former friends, and SAFE project helped me through the entire thing and made me feel safe on campus again. Surveys like is are so important, not only for the research purposes, but to let victims know that there are people here on campus that want to help. The dorms are one of the worst places in terms of sexual assault. I'm not totally sure what the solution is, but I know that it happens a lot more often than people would usually think. The incident I discussed in my survey was an example of an awkward, semi-uncomfortable hook-up attempt, but not one that leaked into sexual misconduct. I did not like the way my potential partner approached me in some manners. IE, after I told him no to sex he made jokes about "just some other things ;)" and then I after refused him on that, making jokes about "just making out ;)" It was very clear that these jokes were not him really joking, and that he would leap to accepting the favors if I agreed. But when I said no to each of these encounters, he brushed it off as "just a joke" before moving to the next one. I want to clarify that while this was uncomfortable for me, it was not harassment. I do not want to paint that experience as something it was not, especially in this survey. The problem I had with another student is my Lab Instructor. Based on my experiences in Laramie and those of many people I have talked to, date rape drugs are a huge problem with students at University if Wyoming and one that I have not seen evidence that either the university or local law enforcement give the appropriate attention to. I was drugged, then arrested for disorderly conduct. When looking for help with my situation I was told that to prove that is what happened, I would have to pay a significant amount of money to be tested for drugs in my system, that Ivinsin Hospital does not offer these tests, that I should have better wingmen. Aside from friends 36 and family, no one ever suggested that I deserved justice for what happened. I was threatened by the man who drugged me along with his friend later on. When my friend confronted the man who drugged me, he told her he would sue her if she kept talking about it. I was supposed to student teach that following semester and when I told the Office of Education, my placement for student teaching was changed. Student Groups - - - - - - - - - - The athletes get praised at this university but they're the ones that are sexually assaulting women. The football players in particular. If someone here on an athletics scholarship is accused of sexual misconduct, I have no confidence in the system to treat it the same as someone here who is just a regular student. this is a reflection of the climate regarding USA Gymnastics, the Penn State misconduct allegations, and other cases across the country. When I was a freshman, we had to go to an orientation that discussed sexual misconduct. We had the option to send anonymous questions and I asked something along the line of "Will sexual misconduct allegations against a male athlete be taken serious? For example, the Stanford case with Brock Turner wasn't taken serious because of his status as a white, male athlete." The man who read my question to the group just asked them to discuss the Brock Turner case. He didn't address the actual question, which to me, means it will not be taken serious. One that I feel is largely covered up or hidden is the number of sexual misconduct cases that occur with students who are involved in athletics, primarily men's basketball or football. There are certainly a lot of students who feel like the University does nothing about that because of athletics and the UW image. Because of that, people from athletics feel like they can do whatever they want and get away with it. Athletes and people of higher social status need to be held to a higher standard when it comes to sexual misconduct Authority tends to turn a blind eye to misconduct done by football players. Being at a party with football players when I was underage was like a safety net because they usually got away with anything, so nobody got an MIP or MIC when a football player was present. The same is true with sexual misconduct. They seem to be “above the law” which is very wrong. As a freshman, I was advised to stay away from football parties because girls were frequently taken advantage of with zero repercussions. Hod your student athletes accountable. I am not a survivor of sexual violence, but I am a student in social/health sciences and am knowledgeable about the issue of sexual misconduct and assault at universities across the nation. I am happy to say that I see UW taking steps to address this issue and aid in prevention, and I know there are events to raise awareness of this issue around campus. However, I think there is still a long way to go. The issue is institutionalized, and the culture surrounding athletics and fraternities/sororities is a large part of the problem. Reports of rape and sexual misconduct should NEVER be covered up (even by means of not taking requested legal measures, making the stories unavailable to the media [keeping names confidential], etc.), and this still happens all too often because the perpetrators are often part of athletics and/or Greek life. The fear is that if word spread about these incidents, the university would lose funding from alumni or lose popularity with attendance/admittance rates. This does SO much damage to the victims/survivors of sexual violence and sends an inherently damaged and incorrect message to society at large. UW is not the only institution with this problem, and I do think others are worse. However, I hope to see even more progress with UW addressing this issue. I believe the University of Wyoming has a long way to go when it comes to addressing sexual miconduct, rape, stalking, and/or abuse at the University. I have seen problems all over the country where the University tries to protect prized athletes that commit these crimes and I hope that the University will not do that when considering their sexual misconduct policies. I feel like there is a blatant bias against women who report rape against athletes. If at all taken seriously the punishment is minimal. I reported my domestic violence that occured for 9 months through the STOP violence program. The program was incredible supportive and helped me take legal action. We also took it to [administrator name redacted] to trespass the abuser from campus as he was graduated by the time I reported. [administrator name redacted] did not take any empathy in the situation, did nothing to support me and swept the issue under the rug and never spoke to me again. When I came forward with the rape from the same abuser, no actions were taken and it was again swept under the rug. Both by [administrator name redacted] and by the ROTC program under [name redacted]. Completely lost faith in the entire system and will never tell anyone to report to the University. I reported to the police department and will always go to them first with this and never again to the University to seek any help or support. I never reported the incident because he was a member or an athletic team and I didn't want to ruin his life. But after I told him I was upset we had slept together and that that wasn't something I had wanted to do (I was black-out drunk) he completely tried to ruin my image/reputation around campus. He spread vicious rumors about me and made my entire 37 - - - - - dorm floor think poorly of me as well as most of the others in our dorm. He spread rumors that I was a slut, easy, and just looking for attention when in fact I had gotten out of a very long very serious relationship and expected a movie when he invited me over to a watch a movie, not sex. But he got me drunk and guilted me into it and then made me feel like it was my fault for saying yes. I have since healed and moved forward but it was a bad way to start college and damaged many of my future relationships with men I wanted to trust. I think that the University really needs to focus on particularly on the Boys Sports teams. One boy on the football team once told one of my friends that he was on it and she responded that was cool and he asked her if she wanted to do his laundry for him in total seriousness which is quite sexist. And another one of my friends got yelled at by a star wrestlers friend because he was friends with him and so she should do what he told her to do. Also why is there nothing about racism in this because I have heard and seen a fair amount of racism and it defiantly plays a factor into sexual harassment and assault. I've heard of and witnessed many times where a football player sexually assaulted someone and didn't get in any trouble or got in way less trouble than they should've. In terms of the way the university handled a recent case I am very disappointed. The male accused of rape was allowed back on to campus and reaccepted into the ROTC program. This is disheartening and deeply troubling. Seeing him on campus is unsettling and knowing that he is allowed to serve our country and attend this university as well as live in the dorms is shocking. This university NEEDS to take a more active role in sexual violence. The Fraternities are an institution that perpetuates rape culture and they need to be stopped. I can say for certain that in at least one incident a student was protected by the administration from sexual assault allegations because they were deemed in someway important to the school. I have heard from trusted sources many other cases in which reports of sexual assault were mishandled and these reports were all against members of UW sports teams. More than one UPD officer has confirmed this type of activity on behalf of the administration behind closed doors. Recommendations - - - - - I think the university is absolutely terrible at handling sexual misconduct. I am a student and have worked at the university for a short time as well. I had to take a sexual harassment online class to work here and even that was ridiculous in that it was sexist and victim blaming. The university keeps putting out information basically saying "how women should change their day to day tasks in order to not get raped." Such as, "Dont walk across empty dark parking lots by yourself." By saying that alone, the University of Wyoming is victim blaming and exacerbating the idea that women need to change their lives in order to not get assaulted. When we should be telling people it is wrong to touch or kiss someone without their affirmative consent. As a woman of color on campus I live my life at a higher risk for assault than any other demographic. Although I've had multiple different close friends and people be sexually assaulted (all white women) during their time here, not enough is being done. I appreciate [name redacted] for creating this survey and actually caring about sexual violence. We must stand closer together and protect each other from the abuse, by better education and louder action. Sexual assaults, although I know are kept confidential, should be consistently put into wyoanouncements so that students can continue to keep up with sexual assault cases. It's easy for UW to ignore the problem when the assault is mentioned for a brief moment then never brought up again. That does not show our university taking major and strong steps to stop this. I am a transfer student and I received lots of title XI training at my prior institution but I don’t feel like I’ve heard anything about it here. I don’t know other students experience but it should be talked about more in classes and not just first year seminars in case transfer students are here and didn’t receive training at the prior school and aren’t in a seminar here. How about you put this in your Monday message or the UW police advisory about someone getting attacked on campus, "How to ask for consent and not rape or assault anyone." That would probably be more useful than telling me I shouldn't walk home at night without an escort. I believe the sexual misconduct policy at the University of Wyoming is out of line with what the University should be doing as an institution. Sexual misconduct is an extremely serious problem in our country, as we are seeing it more and more in the news, and should be handled by the authority of the law. As a University, especially as a dean of a University, I believe it is over extending the power of that an individual or an institution should have by expanding their power into such cases as these; especially after a case has already been dealt with in through the law. The school, is a public institution that should focus on expanding the education levels within its University while keeping their students feel safe. The local police force is a public institution that should focus on keeping everyone in their town safe. I believe we should let the professionals in each case handle the situation. I would not want a police officer who is an investigator being the dean of the University of Wyoming; and I would not want the dean of the University of Wyoming to be an investigator in a legal case. 38 - - - - - - - - - I think it would be more beneficial to put up more distress telephone booths that are more accessible on campus, so if something does happen and a person is in immediate need of help a phone can get reached easier. I also think putting up more lights on campus might help so when those are on campus late are leaving they won't be walking in dimly lit places. I think the most important thing we can do is to educate others on what is acceptable and what is not. It is difficult when we are all from different backgrounds and in different house holds. I feel as though some people are not sure how to interact with others properly, but this hasn't been a problem since the dawn of time we are just now starting to really talk about it I think the University of Wyoming is a lot better than some of other colleges when it comes to sexual misconduct but I do know it is a issue here. I think there should be more of the emergency systems outside where if you are in trouble you can push the button and get help. I would prefer to see sexual misconduct information as non-polarized as possible. I think it is just as important for education of both men and women. Seeing how severe and career ending even allegations of sexual misconduct can be for males, information for men not as condemnation but as an assimilation approach so that they can know what are the clear boundaries, how to communicate wants with partners they are interested in or already dating, and also how to build romantic relationships without alcohol or with moderation. It feels like UW (and probably a lot of other insititutions) are more interested in training that would be convient (ex-online) rather than training that would be effective and make a difference. I think we can all agree that when sitting in the comfort of our chair in front of a computer I know exactly which answer out of 3 choices to choose in a training but when I am sitting across from someone I’m attracted to it’s an entirely different experience. Where is the training that helps people in real life situations? It is extremely important to follow up on victims of sexual harassment/rape or violence It is good to continuously take a stand against sexual misconduct. However, sometimes, you just can't change the preconceived ideas students come to campus with. It would be great if people knew not to rape but seeing as that isn't going to happen over night here are some things that might actually help. 1) More parking needs to be made available so we don't have to walk too far to our car on this POORLY lit campus at night. 2) Add more lighting. This campus is too dark and that invites violence. 3) Campus police should be out of their vehicles, walking the campus. There are too many places to hide that vehicles cannot reach. Campus police should also be available to escort people home after bus hours are over for safety or at least form the library to their cars parked four blocks away on a sidewalk with NO lighting. 4) Followup emails after a student has been raped need to highlight what rape is and how not to rape as opposed to victim blaming like recommending people don't walk by themselves. Some people don't know what constitutes as sexual misconduct. No means no and only yes means yes. People need to know that if they are with someone who seems uncomfortable to talk about it. Assuming it is not rape until a person says no is not helping anyone, least of all those being raped. Better inform the populous. Teach what consent looks like. 5) Update the employee sexual misconduct training. I work on campus and I've taken it. It is full of victim blaming and never identifies how to tell if what you're saying or doing is inappropriate. People need to know how to read people so they know when they are messing up. 6) Remind people that getting accused of sexual misconduct is bad and serious. Remind them what happens if they are accused. Remind them to recognize that a person is uncomfortable and they may not feel comfortable saying no. Consent is something that takes a few seconds but getting accused of sexual misconduct and rape could follow them forever, whether they know they did it or not. 7) Rape isn't always violent. It doesn't look the same for everyone. It CAN be an ambush out of a bush in the middle of the night, but it LET STUDENTS DEFEND THEMSELVES INSTEAD OF TAKING AWAY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS ILLEGALLY. NO, YOUR PERSONAL "FEELINGS" DON'T GET TO DICTATE THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS THAT YOU SAY YOU "CARE ABOUT." IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP WITH ALL OF THIS LET STUDENTS DEFEND THEMSELVES AND PROMOTE DOING SO. Okay, two things: 1. Domestic violence and security, specifically in the dorms, is lackluster at best. When I was in the residence halls, my ex would frequently sneak into my residence hall and wait for me outside my room with no security. RAs at the front desk wouldn't be able to see her come in, because she came in through the basement. She would just avoid them on duty rounds, and no RAs would escort her out if they found her. People are too nice about tailgating and letting people into buildings without keys. Nobody does anything about this. At the front desk, nobody yells at anyone for doing it. The basement doors might as well be propped open for all of the security -- a girl standing outside the doors will be let in by the next guy that walks by instantly/for sure. There is NO doubt about that. There should, in my opinion, be a way for RAs to "blacklist" people who are known bad and have them posted at RA desks. There should be an RA in the basement stopping people from tailgating or "waiting to get in" at all times. Desks and RAs should be aware of active domestic violence situations and should be responding accordingly to student reports to mitigate it in the future. At least one RA needs to be at every desk in every hall, monitoring all entrances for people who are blacklisted, at all times. The reduction of residence life staff in the dorms to save on budget is a hilariously bad decision that needs to be reversed. The 39 - - - - - - - - ONE safety check that existed was that, when the basement was closed, the only entrance point was the front desk and that meant someone could watch. Now it's a joke. 2. There's this problem that no surveys address, which is the sort of implied consent that exists in relationships after a long period of time. The fact of the matter is that when a relationship crosses the barrier into 1-2 years, even a couple with strict knowledge about consent will just stop checking because there's an implied "yes." The only thing I could see aiding the University of Wyoming in its attempts here, would be to clearly state the laws regarding sexual misconduct, and to not smear alleged offenders before any sort of legal recourse has concluded. The privacy of the accused is just as important as the privacy of the accuser until anything has been proven. There needs to be more student activities on campus to inspire people to not drink like dry dances, bowling, sky zone, more indoor intermurals. I got bored being on campus and eventually was invited to hang out with a group/club of mostly guys and they were fun and partied quite a bit. I learned to party from them as I had never drank before in high school. I wanted to fit in. Eventually, I got too drunk, passed out and a couple of them took advantage of the situation. I was stupid and they had no right to do what they did. I was embarrassed and it took a long time for me to speak up. I Tod a friend from home at church. My parents don’t know because I am too embarrassed. I just want the experience to go away. I have left UW because I am better off closer to home and I need more support that I just didn’t feel I received at UW. In some ways, I really loved UW, but there is too much of a party atmosphere, bonfires out in the country, easy access to alcohol at local bars, th bowling alley. If there were more fun activities, especially on campus, it would be better. It seems like it would be really easy to use resident life to foster more student activities that doesn’t involve drinking. It is tough enough with peer pressure, being away from home for the first time, being a girl ... I think the school could take a bigger role at changing the atmosphere. BTW, the sexual harassment was listening to a professor talk about lesibian relationships as being normal and promoting lesbianism. Being in a Woman’s Studies class doesn’t make you a Leftist Feminst ... a student should be able to say that being a strong woman can be conservative, Christian, family oriented without being put down or feeling like if you speak up it will effect your grade. And it did effect my grade, I went from a high B going into the final paper and final to a D. The burden of proof must be on the accuser and not the accused. The incidents or sexism that were pointed out in this survey unfortunately were a side effect of current university policy. It creates a situation where anyone who is perceived as of a 'priveleged' sex or ethnicity is regularly attacked with little to no recourse. It is all the worse if such individuals try and defend themselves or have an opinion that doesn't immediately coincide with the prevailing perspective. Such individuals are deeply castigated and shunned for any such idea. The University has supported this and continues to isolate and exclude such individuals on a regular basis by doing bending over backwards to support its choice groups and leaving anyone who isn't in them by the wayside. It would be pointless to report incidents as a person who isn't in one of the special groups because the University would at best simply ignore the complaint or worse would claim that individual was simply biased by their privelege and to sit down and shut up. The lack of moral judgment in today's society is pathetic. The viewing of pornography teaches men falsities of sexual conduct and behaviors. Pornography is something to consider when taking these surveys because of the high impairment effects that viewing such vulgarity has on someones brain. Signed a happily married man who respects his wife There should be emergency/safety buttons inside every dorm room To the questions about opinions of rape happening or not happening and accountability when alcohol may or may not be involved: I think that it does represent a double standard, definitely representative of our crappy, sexist, genderized society that when both parties are drinking and they have sex, usually only the woman is considered "raped." Some of the situations on that list (I can't remember specifically because dang that was a lot of questions ago) are less than simple. Some rapes are prosecuted in which sexual heat took things out of control because of inadequate consent education. But real rape is about power and dominance, not sex. We would be much better off if we leaned to wait for marriage. You need to actually provide a campus where individuals can actually protect themselves. Congress tried to pass allowing concealed carry on campus and you totally shut it down. How do you expect people to not have these things happen to them if they can't protect themselves legally. Because of your laws it is even illegal for someone to carry pepper spray. This is pathetic. I am very strongly opposed to the University of Wyoming in any form after being a student here. Very disappointed in the views of the university, staff, and board of trustees. This university is not a representation of the state of Wyoming. It is more of a want to be Colorado or California town. When a situation pops up about nonconsensual touching mind what that does to the evicted who has never done such a scary and ruthless act before. Keep in mind what that does to the person's future. Stop blaming victims, hold rapists accountable. Take sexual assault more seriously stop punishing the accused without due process 40 - - - - - - Sexual violence is pervasive in our culture, UWYO is neither especially good or bad at dealing with it as an issue. In my opinion, all organizations and people can do more. Once, I received an email about a girl who was sexually assaulted in a parking lot last semester, but it did not say where the incident took place. This really worried me and I wanted to know where to avoid this parking lot since last semester I was traveling at night quite often to Visual Arts with my sister. It would be a relief to know where these things happen so that that area can be avoided when alone or when traveling at night. One aspect that could be implemented that would make me feel safer at the University of Wyoming is to have streetlights on the east side of the Visual Arts Building. That side road where most students park has no lighting, and when it's late at night, it is sometimes nerve-racking to walk out to my car. I wouldn't know if someone were waiting out there with bad intentions. One thing that I think is missing from this survey is attention to how sexism and gender-identity- and sexual orientationrelated discrimination and other forms of workplace harassment affect people who are disadvantaged because they are a) not hetero, cis, white, males, b) students, junior faculty, staff, etc., or otherwise in a lower position of hierarchy, and c) how a and b compound to negatively affect people's mental health. I realize that these are not explicit instances of sexual violence, but they often stem from gender-related discrimination and bias (often subtle, and not necessarily even conscious). Nonetheless, a great deal of harm can be done that relates to sex/gender without someone being physically or verbally agressive in an overtly negative, sexual way. I think we need to educate all students about what consent means. I have had multiple situations with different men where I would tell someone I didn't want to participate in a certain act and they kept pushing even after I said no multiple times. They would push by using words, or text message. This made me feel very uncomfortable. This has happened to the majority of my female friends. It is important to communicate to all students that after someone says no, they shouldn't keep asking/harassing someone in person or by text message/other communication. Can you guys put up posters or send out an email or something so we know the actual statistics behind the majority of the questions. Thanks!! Male Bias - - - - - - - - Feel as if the study would be much more beneficial if directed towards women. Not very many men get taken advantage of any way sexually. Also, this survey under does male rape. The majority of questions were worded with the victim being female, and the male being an aggressor. These questions neglect the treatment of male victims, and forced to penetrate was not an option on this survey. This implies that forcing a male to penetrate is not rape or not important with respect to rape. If a male victim was forced to penetrate your survey would not report him as a victim. I don't like that all of the questions implied women are always the victims and men are always guilty. In the sexual/rape questions it was always guy hurting the girl. I had a friend who was the victim, and he was a boy. I think the wording is sexist and demeaning to male victims. I do think the it forced me to think about what happened to me, but my situation wasn't as bad as his. I found the section on rape to be heavily biased towards men raping women. While this is the majority of rapes, I found it extremely sexist to only mention a guy raping a girl. I found this to be extremely stereotypical and am disappointed that this university would do something like this. I really found this survey offensive in the pointed language seeming to insinuate that men are the rapists or sexual delinquents in all cases. It was awkward for me to sometimes answer questions like "I believe rape happens when guys sexual desire is out of control" or "I tried to stick my penis into someone" which the word guy and penis definitely portray a male raping a female or other person scenario. I wish that the language was more gender neutral because I have plenty of guy friends who have told me in privacy that they have been sexually assaulted and even raped. I just feel like there is a stigma on guys not to report it or get help as much as there is for women, so for the sake of my friends who have experienced rape I felt the pointed language was very disrespectful and offensive. I HAVE BEEN INAPPROPRIATELY STROKED BY A GIRL WHERES THE OPTION TO RESPOND TO THAT ON THIS SURVEY? HEAVILY BIASED. I'm thankful the university is doing this survey. I think the rapes of of male to male, female to female, and most importantly females raping males are all potential occrances but low. These Questions in the survey seemed to target the majority of rapes (male on female) but didn't seem to include the other occrances. In the questions about sexual misconduct, especially where it was asked if a person's penis, fingers, or objects were inserted to your vagina or if you've done the same with someone's butt, it is misleading for sexual misconduct can happen to men and women. 41 - - - - - - - - - - - There is a strong stigma against males on campus. Especially when I took women's studies. While I understand it is important to focus on the violence against females, Males who also have valid experiences against them are thrown under the bus. Not only are they thrown under the bus, Classes on campus speak out against them. The survey should include questions regarding the realities faced by gender nonconforming and sexual diversity individuals. Male identities also experience sexual assault on campus and certain questions were difficult to answer because they were female centric. When doing surveys like these, maybe do not refer to perpetrators in purely male contexts. Although it is more uncommon, other genders are capable of the same acts. There was an incident during my employment here where I was treated like garbage by some colleagues and a supervisor. My boss handled it fantastically, and supported me. The University machine kind of treated me as a perpetrator and often put me under the knife because my attackers where LGBTQ. The offenders would later be fired for sexual misconduct, but only because there was video evidence. These people who where fired for sexual misconduct would later be seen as part of the protesters who where protesting sexual misconduct. Some of whom had signs saying “men are pigs.” My opinion is that [administrator name redacted] and my supervisor handled it well. But considering that this survey has an extensive and exhaustive list about sexual misconduct against women, and gendered language pointing to women as victims and only allowing gender neutral language for male victims I have a poor opinion of how the University is handling any of this. This study, though important, seems particularly focused on aggressive "male" sexual behavior. I think that that is important, but this survey does not effectively explore the inappropriate advances by women. My experiences, including those of my close friends, involved females engaging in extremely offensive/sexual behavior that was nonconsensual. I understand that most cases involve a male perpetrator, but this survey seems to be less interested in the reverse, which is, honestly not that surprising, especially for this campus. Lots of guys don't report abuse here because school organizations do not seem to be very interested in sexual misconduct when males are the victim. This survey didn't really ever acknowledge that woman can rape, nor that men can be raped by men, which, having been assaulted by a woman while identifying as a woman, I was somewhat offended/alienated by. These questio+A158ns were geared toward men raping women, but rape comes in all forms. I'm male and one of the questions asked about "my vagina" I think this survey is a little biased. Men get raped too. You should research more into that if you can as well as give more information and help lessen the stigma around men getting raped. Innocent until proven guilty. Title 9 proceedings tend to have horrible biases against men. In highschool I was raped by a girlfriend, I never reported it because of the inherent biases against men in cases of rape. I would really hate to see UW become one of those schools. I'm a little irritated that most of the questions revolved around MEN sexually assaulting, as women can assault people as well. The reason those questions didn't come up, I'm assuming, is because I gave the information that I was a straight female. Hopefully that is the case, because if not, I believe that this survey was a bit redundant. We have to stop making sexual assault a gender issue, as anyone can do it. Especially in the section that talks about abuse, we must stop blaming everything on men and realize that both genders abuse, and this will hopefully lead to a solution. This survey seemed to be geared primarily toward women as victims/survivors and men as assailants. Anyone of any gender can be a victim/survivor of sexual assault or an assailant. Perhaps retool the survey to be more inclusive there? Faculty/Staff - - - - I KNOW OF A GIRL WHO WAS RAPED BY HER TEACHER AND THEN UW DISMISSED HER CASE BECAUSE IT WASN'T SERIOUS ENOUGH... I KNOW THAT THE ONLY REASON THAT THE UNIVERSITY DOES THESE SURVEYS IS TO LOOK GOOD!! HONESTLY, IT IS DISGUSTING... I reported a professor for sexual harassment and was dismissed completely. They said I "had a case" and that this professor would be punished for his actions, but nothing has happened at all, nor has the professor been terminated or received any form of punishment. I felt like the EORR office did NOT take me seriously, even after they promised me this issue would be dealt with. I was not making any of my situation up and I had significant evidence to prove what the professor was doing. I not feel unsafe walking on campus and this has prohibited me from ever feeling protected or safe on campus. This has made it significantly more difficult for me to return to UW because I feel unsafe. I said i had been treated differently because of my sex because a teacher i had for math agve girls in the class better grades than me for the same work. Faculty members are extremely sexist, especially in the engineering department, and a couple of faculty members have publically slut shamed someone or told victims that being assaulted was their fault. 42 - - - - - - - - - When a tenured faculty behaves in sexist was, gets turned and nothing happens, what hope is there for any other help in ANYTHING? Also, night classes then walking to the car at night is VERY TERRIFING! Post more information about if there is campus police to escort to our cars, EVEN if we had to park off campus! More lamps would be healthy as well! There is a lot of focus about student on student misconduct. Any faculty on student misconduct is quickly hushed up and ignored. I think we need to be bringing this issue into the light as well. You shouldn't address one and not the other. a friend told me that her friend is sleeping with her professor, who is in his 50s and has a wife and kids. My friend felt uncomfortable around her friend since learning this news and no one wants to talk to her. It makes me uncomfortable too, and Im not sure what to do about it. A major factor right now is the hesitancy to report sexual harassment encounters performed by faculty. There are 2 grad students that I know that do not want to report sexual harassment because they are fearful of how their graduate careers will turn out after the accusation/report is made. They also do not like the feeling of "holding someone's career in their hands." The fact that we feel guilty for reporting harassment is a huge issue and it leads to the concept that people of power can get away with whatever they want. I answered these questions as a student because I am. I am also a staff member and believe a similar survey needs to be done with faculty and staff and I believe the problem with reporting and receiving support and action for sexual misconduct between faculty and/or staff is a FAR larger problem at UW than student issues which less likely involve supervisors/subordinates and situations that could create unsafe work spaces. It is commonly understood among staff that the offices that receive these reports do not act. I believe someone would have to be raped on camera on campus to actually get any action taken against a person who commits sexual misconduct in the workplace around here. As a student I applaud the work being done with this survey and the movement on campus to provide a safe environment. As a staff member, not so much. Please make it easier to report sexual misconduct done by tenured professors. Please. The only times any of this has happened to me is wheny English teacher called me a rapist in class. And when a girl I met at a party sent me her nasty naked pictures without me asking or having her number the experiences I discussed with a professor using manipulation and perceived punishments if I did not do [non-sexual] things for him were handled by an administrator, and he was eventually fired. This was after a group of his students spoke up to the department head. Quite frankly, the programs here can be a joke. The Alcohol program is excellent, but the sexual assault program is always led by women who are unsympathetic to men. While there’s nothing wrong with women’s right, women who condemn men at every turn shouldn’t be teaching a course on a subject that requires consent, especially under the assumption that it’s always the fault of a man. UW needs more relatable teachers of the subject for male students, and needs to be fair to both gender. More teachers are sexist towards men than they are towards females. Un-Relatable - - - - - - - By way of clarification on one group of questions, I have never intervened in an incident because I've never been around one. Being 45 I don't encounter the same "bar" situations as a traditional student. All of my experiences of sexual misconduct happened before I came to UW! I am a non-traditional student, so I feel a little out of touch with what is going on on campus and rarely feel like I belong there. But I have been going to the University of Wyoming on and off for several years. I am married now and don't participate in many party like activities, so my experience around drunk people is very limited. I am religious and married and avoid bars parties and most other questionable location where sexual misconduct and violence occur. I feel like the questions asked don't well reflect two of my experiences: a student expressing sexual harassment of me (the TA, female) on their anonymous course evals; and a case where I (female) was definitely mistreated by my advisor and his wife, but it was unclear how much of their mistreatment of me was gender based. I or none of my friends have been directly affected by sexual misconduct I haven't had anyone sexually harass me or anything else. However I thought it was important to do the survey in general because some people don't like to speak up in general. I think my data may be skewed as I am older than the traditional student and spend little time on campus and also work during the peak party times. I'm probably not a typical case because I'm a Mormon, and I haven't ever been in a bar (to drink), I almost never go to parties with alcohol and if I do they're business-related social events, and most of my friends have similar views as I do. I am also happily married, so I no longer have to worry about dating and some of the pitfalls that can come with that area of life. 43 - - Yes, I have experienced unwanted sexual advances before, but they were either in high school or during summer jobs, and have had no lasting effect on my life. I've always felt safe on the University campus and the faculty/staff's behavior has always been good. I answered that I had heard offensive jokes and statements of a sexual nature on campus from my fellow undergraduates, which is true. They weren't directed at me, but I get really tired of hearing the stories people tell in the hallways between classes about their sexual adventures that weekend (they don't necessarily tell the whole world on purpose, but when they're chilling with their friends waiting for class to start, they don't try to hush up their conversations, either.) That's just me personally and I'm sure others don't have much of an issue with that. It just happens to be a sacred subject for me because of my religious beliefs. Anyway, I would love to hear about more ways to intervene as a bystander a seminar or training would do. Thanks for reading this novel I wrote! Some of these questions were difficult to fit into my personal situation. I believe that the issues of this survey are very important for the women at this University, and also important else where, important enough to give the women the priority over the men in most of the University's actions and decisions. A man can choose to avoid these situations; to walk away from them. I, personally, have far more general concerns in my life. My concerns are with the more general issues we all have with health and well being. I didn't relate to several of these questions. I am usually always with trusted friends or my boyfriend so I have someone to protect me or at least look out for me. Any unwanted sexual experience I have been in, I am able to say I don't want it and the person backs off. However, I think there are a lot of sexual experiences with people on campus that don't get reported and I hope this survey can make a difference or at least make people feel more comfortable with reporting their experiences. Unsafe - - - - - - The environment around sexual misconduct is too normalized in society that individuals do not acknowledge their behavior as misconduct. The saying "boys will be boys" and for women "they are asking it" mindset is too prevalent. I did not report the sexual misconduct that happens while on campus and while enrolled to UW because I am a Hispanic women. The UW environment is not a welcoming or supportive place for me to speak up. UW students are fairly chill with homophobia on campus and treated anything that had to do with homophobia (such as homophobic jokes/attitudes) with less care than I think they would have if a straight woman was receiving inappropriate jokes from a man. And given how heteronormative the campus is in that it doesn't seem like campus talks about lgbtq issues outside of specific settings, I'm not confident that if I were targeted for my sexuality that I would be taken seriously. This University has a problem. A survey is not going to solve it. Sexual assault/ abuse/ harassment/ any unpleasent experience of ANY KIND should not be a part of the college experience. I myself have experienced it, and am quite frankly sick and tired of sitting down with close friends who have also experienced awful things and the university. UW PD is only worried about giving MIPS and "busting" kids who are usually just BEING SAFE AND RETURNING TO THEIR DORM ROOM. HERES AN IDEA UW PD, GO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARENT GETTING ASSAULTED INSTEAD OF WAITING LIKE FOXES IN A FOXHOLE FOR INNOCENT COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO MAYBE HAD A SIP OF ALCOHOL AT A PARTY SAFELY RETURN TO THEIR DORM ROOM. I am ashamed to be a part of a University that simply is not getting it done. No one is not at fault. I have heard from people who have gotten ZERO support from the school after experiencing sexual harassment/ assault/ abuse, and have gotten SHAMED BY THE DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE. GUESS WHAT PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM COMING FORWARD? SHAMING. VICTIM BLAMING. SO DO NOT BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU SEE TERRIFYING RESPONSES ON THIS SURVEY FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED AWFUL THINGS WHILE STUDENTS AT THIS UNIVERSITY AND YOU HAVEN'T HEARD A WORD OF IT. DON'T YOU DARE BE SURPRISED. our voices will be heard. and if not by you, UW PD, Laramie PD, then the world. The general chemistry class that many freshman have to take mandates a weekly discussion section that is scheduled for an evening/night. I don't particularly enjoy having to walk across campus in the dark, and I'm sure that many people find that distressing as well. If a man is fired two times, one time likely related to sexual misconduct, then how can the university feel comfortable hiring him back a THIRD time. Disgusting. In my opinion the university is doing nothing to prevent people from becoming victims. The university is educating students on how to "play with fire" by requiring classes on how to "drink responsibly" and by passing out free condoms. It is said that if you don't want to get mugged you don't walk down a dark alley. In the same way many of the situations described in this survey can be easily prevented by not putting oneself in that situation, which is a very simple concept in the realm of victimology. In no way am I trying to minimize how awful rape is, I believe that people that have been convicted of rape should be castrated, but there is a lot of blame that gets put on the perpetrator that the victim could have prevented. 44 - - I am afraid of being assaulted on this campus at night. Many of my female friends feel the same way. I always try to have a friend walk with me if it's dark out or I try to take my car. I wish that it wasn't so dark and that I could feel safe walking around at night or staying at the office late at night like my male classmates seem to feel. I do not think this is a safe campus for trans* individuals I believe that the university still has a long ways to go when it comes to handling these situations I personally have a VERY hard time with cat-calling, particularly walking off campus to my residence. Occurs upwards of 3 times a week, even from construction workers hired by the town hall (I walk down Ivinson past the police station). Males around undergraduate age are the most frequent offenders. I feel very unsafe walking down high-traffic roads (which have more lighting, but more harassers), and unsafe on calmer roads because they aren't lit. Additional Comments - - - There was no question addressing whether I thought that having sex with a drunk person meant you were raping them, and I very strongly want to say that NO, drunk sex is not necessarily rape. I think that attempting to talk a drunk person into sex after they say no is crossing a line, but if they say yes right off the bat when they're drunk, THEY ARE CONSENTING. I've consented to sex while drunk, and I would have been upset if they hadn't take my yes as consent just because I was drunk. I knew what I was saying and what the implications were, why should I not be able to give consent?? The part about why a guy would rape did not have questions that satisfied my beliefs. I believe that guys (and even girls) that rape have something wrong with them. Rape is NOT driven by 'sexual desire' or 'drunkenness'. Those are EXCUSES. There is no reason ANYONE should EVER RAPE. Rape is NOT a victim's fault. This survey is tailor-made to get the results the University wants to see, not what the students really think or feel about sexual misconduct. This survey needs to be rewritten and re-done so personal beliefs like the one stated above are addressed. I know about some really unnerving things that have happened between students on campus this past semester, and I also feel that this survey is biased in those areas. Only the people that have been affected by the incident/person are going to be able to answer the questions on this survey to show their encounters. These few peoples' answers this situation occurred to are not going to overpower the rest of the answers in this survey. But the people that this occurred to still DESERVE and ought to be treated with RESPECT and DIGNITY by the University of Wyoming ,which is not happening. Their encounters need to be addressed honestly and with integrity, not with a biased or "saving the univeristy face" action, which IS happening. I am thoroughly displeased with the University of Wyoming and their responses to this sort of misconduct and the way they try to smooth actions over (like this biased survey). This survey personally upset me by the way the responses were phrased. In one of the first sections, there were only what seemed to be "excuses" for "why guys rape". Why was there no option saying "They rape because they think that they can sexually abuse a woman and get away with it" or "guys rape because they are rapists". All of the responses were excuses, the one that bothered me the most being "he might rape someone unintentionally". Everyone is able to think, and rape is not unintentional. It made the men seem like they should just get a slap on the hand for "being men" instead of stating what it really is. Also, many of the questions were phrased in a way that blamed men. Although there are more women raped than men, there are men that can be raped too. This survey was unfair to those people in that manner to in the sense that most specific questions always made the women seem like victims. The University of Wyoming can do a lot more for the safety of the students. I do not know how many times I have received the school wide emails reporting someone sexually assaulted, for example the east lot parking lot, and then we never hear a word about it again from the school. I live on campus near these places, and it would be really nice to be informed if I have to have someone drive me home because a rapist is still out there. We never hear any updates on these stories and that is not beneficial any students. I also believe that any student that has raped, stalked, blackmailed, hacked, etc should not be treated with empathy on this campus and needs to be expelled. This not only makes me feel unsafe knowing these fellow students are STILL walking among me, but it means that it gives the perpetrator the idea that it is ok and they can do it again because the university has not anything effective. I think the safety of the students should be placed in higher regards than someone that is know to have committed an offense. 45