A Review of Sexual Assault Information on College Web Sites: Table 1:

Widening the Lens: An Ecological Review of Campus Sexual Assault

“…In addition to availability and coordination of services, universities may also influence reporting and help seeking by improving student, staff, and faculty awareness of sexual violence resources. Content analyses of websites from 4-year universities have found that nearly all schools provided some information about sexual assault services and student resources (Lund & Thomas, 2015; Schwartz, McMahon, & Broadnax, 2015). Another study of institutions of higher education found that general information on how to report an assault was available on 75% of university websites; however, specific information on options such as anonymous reporting was much less common (Englander, McCoy, & Sherman, 2016).…”

Campus Sexual Assault Policies: A Feminist Policy Analysis Framework

“…Researchers have critiqued social work’s lack of participation in studying sexual violence, specifically in the lack of explicit feminist-based analyses within policy (Kanenberg, 2013; McMahon & Schwartz, 2011; McPhail, 2003; Schwartz, McMahon, & Broadnax, 2015). Social workers have currently and historically worked with diverse populations of women who experience the repercussions of various types of violence including violence against women on campuses (Voth Schrag, 2017).…”

“…Social workers inevitably encounter sexual violence across multiple settings (e.g., hospitals, schools, mental health agencies), from diverse positions in micro, mezzo, and macro systems (McMahon & Schwartz, 2011), and acknowledge the person-in-environment, an element critical to the context of campus sexual assault (Schwartz et al, 2015). Social work has explicit values and ethics that reflect the importance of protecting and supporting survivors of sexual violence including social justice, the dignity and worth of the person, the importance of relationships, and self-determination (National Association of Social Workers, 2017).…”

Sexual Assault Information Posted on College and University Websites: Size and Setting Matter

“…Indeed, the Internet is increasingly used by IHE administrators to provide health-related information to students (American College Health Association, 2011; Buhi, Daley, Fuhr, & Smith, 2009;Karjane, Fisher, & Cullen, 2005). To date, three regional and two nationally representative studies investigate IHE websites to better understand what and how SA information is transmitted to students (e.g., Englander et al, 2016;Franklin et al, 2016;Hayes-Smith & Hayes-Smith, 2009;Krivoshey et al, 2013;Lund & Thomas, 2015;Schwartz et al, 2015). Each identifies similarities in what is and is not typically found and where it can be located.…”

“…As such, to reach students, useful and usable information about SA needs to be present, easy to access, and correct on every university website. However, four state-specific and two nationally representative studies found the quality and quantity of information posted on IHE websites varied greatly (e.g., Englander, McCoy, & Sherman, 2016;Franklin, Jin, Ashworth, & Viada, 2016;Hayes-Smith & Hayes-Smith, 2009;Krivoshey, Adkins, Hayes, Nemeth, & Klein, 2013;Lund & Thomas, 2015;Schwartz, McMahon, & Broadnax, 2015). The two nationally representative studies found most of the information provided was policyfocused, bare bones, and difficult to locate (Englander et al, 2016;Lund & Thomas, 2015).…”