Online Survey for Campus Climate on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct Available for Students

The University of Arkansas Title IX Office is administering the 2019 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct to all enrolled students. The survey is a part of a continuing effort to better understand student perceptions and attitudes related to sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

The survey will be sent out today, April 1, and will be open for approximately 30 days. When the survey opens, all currently enrolled students will receive an email from the Title IX Office with an external link allowing them to participate.

The Office on Violence Against Women in the U.S. Department of Justice considers a campus climate survey to be a best practice in combatting sexual violence. The office stated "schools that conduct their own climate survey - rather than rely on national or regional data - are better equipped to address campus sexual assault because they have data that specifically describes their community."

The University of Arkansas administered a similar survey in 2017. The U of A Title IX Office plans to analyze the new survey data in an effort to better understand how student attitudes and opinions may have shifted or changed over the past two years. Tyler Farrar, the Title IX coordinator, considers the campus climate survey to be an important tool in the ongoing effort to respond to allegations of sexual misconduct while working to prevent future misconduct. The survey is designed to help identify specific concerns within the campus community including student awareness regarding reporting options, campus procedures and resources for victims of sexual misconduct.

Farrar hopes that survey data will show positive changes in awareness and attitudes since the 2017 survey.

"The 2017 survey indicated that almost 83 percent of students felt safe at the University," Farrar said. "However, 48 percent of survey respondents indicated that they did not know how to report sexual assault. This number was concerning to us and led to increased training initiatives and increased marketing of the Title IX Office and it's role on campus."  

Individual survey responses are confidential. Students who participate in the survey will have the opportunity to enter a drawing to win one of two $100 gift cards to the University of Arkansas Campus Bookstore.