The Kids are Alright (Mostly)

Sexual assault on college campuses is not a new phenomenon. For the past few decades, research has consistently documented that 1 in 4 college women report an attempted or completed rape.

For many years, campus sexual assault was rarely discussed. Now, campus sexual assault is a high-profile topic, and Federal Title IX law creates obligations for universities receiving federal money to have policies, personnel, and systems in place to receive and respond to sexual assault. However, the extent to which institutions of higher education are actually compliant with Title IX regulations remains unknown.

In a new study published in Psychology of Violenceopens in new window, Edwards, Sessarego, and Schmidt uncovered a need for more education about Title IX regulations and sexual assault on college campuses. The researchers collected data from 358 institutions in 632 calls by female faculty or graduate students following a script that said they were conducting a class project, in order to document the experience that an actual student seeking help or information would have.

Fewer than 1 in 3 institutions picked up the phone and agreed to talk to the interviewer. This is concerning given that many sexual assault victims' initial help-seeking may occur over the phone.

Individuals at campuses with a sexual assault-related Title IX lawsuit filed against them in the past five years were less likely to answer the pseudo students' questions (although when respondents from these campuses did answer questions, they were more accurate in their responses than individuals from other institutions). Also, 1 in 5 police/campus security respondents did not know the name of their Title IX coordinator and there was widespread confusion about who are confidential reporters.

The good news is that institutions that responded generally provided accurate information and refuted rape myths (e.g., women frequently lie about sexual assault). This suggests that better responses to campus sexual assault are attainable, and that the best universities have already made important strides in that direction. Hopefully, other institutions will soon start meeting this basic threshold of having informed staff who are accessible to students.

These results suggest that there is a need for more technical assistance and education about Title IX regulations, particularly regarding which individuals on college campuses are confidential resources. Small, religious, and private institutions may be in most need of technical assistance and resources.

The authors hope that this paper serves as a catalyst to continued local and national efforts to effectively prevent and respond to sexual assault. Future efforts could include ways to recognize campuses that are excelling in such efforts.

Citation

• Edwards, K. M., Sessarego, S. N., & Schmidt, M. H. (2019). The kids are alright (mostly): An empirical examination of Title IX knowledge in institutions of higher education. Psychology of Violence, 9(4), 431–441. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/vio0000203

Note: This article is in the Forensic Psychology topic area. View more articles in the Forensic Psychology topic area.

Katie M. Edwards, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology and faculty affiliate of Prevention Innovations Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Edwards' interdisciplinary program of research focuses broadly on better understanding the causes and consequences of intimate partner violence and sexual assault among adolescents and emerging adults with the ultimate goal of using this research data to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of high impact prevention and intervention initiatives. Dr. Edwards has published more than 85 peer reviewed journal articles on these topics, and her work is currently funded by CDC, NIJ, NSF, and DOJ.

Stephanie N. Sessarego, MA, is a doctoral student in social psychology and member of the Interpersonal Violence Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. Ms. Sessarego received a master's degree in forensic psychology from the University of Denver in 2015 and master's degree in psychology from the University of New Hampshire in 2017. Ms. Sessarego's interdisciplinary program of research broadly focuses on risk factors for and outcomes of repeat sexual victimization experiences.

Margaret H. Schmidt, JD, MPH, is a staff attorney and the Legal Clinic Coordinator at the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC). Ms. Schmidt represents victims of crime in criminal cases and victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Civil Protection Order proceedings and Title IX campus proceedings. She also coordinates campus Know Your Rights presentations and NVRDC's call-in clinics. Ms. Schmidt earned her JD and MPH at the University of New Hampshire where she worked with researchers on topics related to prevention and response to sexual violence.