UF students can take part in a sexual assault survey starting today.
UF is one of 27 research institutions in the Association of American Universities participating in the Campus Climate Survey.
The survey will address students’ thoughts, experiences and knowledge of resources about sexual assault and related behaviors, said Jen Day Shaw, UF dean of students.
The confidential survey is sponsored by the AAU and a statistical survey research firm called Westat. It will compare how peer institutions, such as the University of Virginia, are handling issues related to sexual assault, Day Shaw said.
“It gives us a bigger, better way of making sure that we are getting the best information possible,” she said.
Day Shaw said the survey will be sent out over email and will take about 20 minutes to fill out. It’s more narrowly focused than the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey, she said. Students can choose to skip questions or not participate.
“With something like this you wanted to have every possible safeguard and confidentiality,” Day Shaw said.
Awurama Acquah, a UF advertising junior and a U Matter, We Care ambassador, said she is glad UF is making an effort to understand the effectiveness of on-campus sexual assault resources, but she is unsure how helpful the responses will be.
“I think the Student Body as a whole do not know these services are available,” Acquah, 20, said.
She said she thinks more students may pay more attention to this survey because the results will directly benefit them.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 4/2/2015 under the headline “UF launches survey on sexual assaults today”]
Madeleine Hill, Alissa Kotranza and Kriti Vedhanayagan, all UF students, and UFPD victim advocate Anne Carper march west on Inner Road in the Take Back the Night march to end sexual violence. “Yes means yes. No means no. Whatever we wear, wherever we go,” they chanted.
