Measuring and reporting campus sexual assault: Privilege and exclusion in what we know and what we do

Abstract

As awareness of and national attention to campus sexual assault in the U.S. has grown, efforts to study and respond to the problem have increased. While these efforts are to be applauded, they have yet to fully challenge or correct the privileged and exclusive perspectives and assumptions regarding student experiences of campus sexual assault. Specifically, the experiences of white, heterosexual, cisgender, middle-class, and American citizens who are students at primarily elite, traditional colleges and universities are taken as the norm, while experiences of students of color,LGBTQ students, and international students are neglected. Here we examine two primary sources of information regarding campus sexual assault: large-scale self-report surveys and individual reporting to authorities. We first review the content of select large-scale surveys used to gather and measure self-reported data from students on the scope, prevalence, and character of campus sexual assault, and identify areas of omission and neglect regarding marginalized students. We then review literature on barriers to reporting to authorities specific to these groups that further exclude them from our understanding of the problem. We end with recommendations for improved efforts to study and respond to campus sexual assault that are more inclusive and comprehensive.

Campus-Based Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy and Title IX: Revisiting Tensions Between Grassroots Activism and the Criminal Justice System

“…Criteria sampling required that participants be campus-based sexual assault victim advocates. As a convenience sample, some participated as a follow-up to a statewide survey of campuses’ enforcement of new state laws that was conducted in the Summer of 2015, shortly after the laws took effect (Brubaker & Mancini, 2017). Others responded to either an announcement about the study shared via an advocate list-serve or to a flyer distributed at a student affairs conference which many advocates attended.…”

“…These characteristics, along with the requirement to provide a safe learning environment, have resulted in a number of strategies that address student conduct through campus-specific sexual misconduct policies, investigation procedures, sanctions, and resources (U.S. DOE, OCR, 2014). This approach is viewed as an alternative to the criminal justice system's processes of managing evidence, legality, and criminal culpability and prosecution (Brubaker, Keegan, Guadalupe-Diaz, & Beasley, 2017).…”

“…DOE, OCR, 2014). This approach is viewed as an alternative to the criminal justice system’s processes of managing evidence, legality, and criminal culpability and prosecution (Brubaker, Keegan, Guadalupe-Diaz, & Beasley, 2017).…”

Examining Responsible Employees’ Perceptions of Sexual Assault Reporting Requirements Under Federal and Institutional Policy

“…TGNC students are among those at greatest risk of experiencing sexual assault (Coulter et al, 2017;Griner et al, 2017). There are unique concerns for TGNC students and employees around sexual assault reporting, including concerns about transphobic treatment by institutional authorities (Brubaker, Keegan, Guadalupe-Diaz, & Beasley, 2017). Moreover, TGNC students may be at risk of being "outed" during a mandatory reporting process.…”

Restorative responses to campus sexual harm: promising practices and challenges

“…Homophobic and heteronormative bias may affect the fair treatment of students, as well. Gay men are subjected to stereotypes that they are promiscuous and hypersexual (Brubaker et al, 2017).…”