Going Beyond Clery: Evaluating Campus Definitions of ‘Sexual Assault’ and ‘Consent’

Abstract

This study examined institutional definitions of "sexual assault" and "consent" in a sample of four-year residential institutions in one state. Findings were promising in some regards and discouraging in others. Almost all campuses were compliant with the Clery Act. Many defined "sexual assault" more broadly than statutes, and also defined "consent" in progressive ways. But, information remained scattered across documents and regressive Uniform Crime Report (UCR) language was not uncommon.