Sexual assault within the American university system: A review of policies, student perspectives, and recommendations

Part I - University Sexual Assault Policy Analysis and Recommendations Objective: Sexual violence within the collegiate environment is a pressing issue within American society. One way to address sexual violence is through the adaptation and implementation of a sexual assault policy by colleges and universities. The purpose of this study is to review sexual misconduct and assault policies of ten public universities as well as federal policies in the US. This study contributes to increasing the knowledge of sexual assault policies on American campuses that would be helpful in the development of more effective prevention policies, increasing sexual assault reporting, and decreasing sexual assaults. Methods: The data included relevant legislation, and the university sexual assault and/or misconduct policies from ten selected public universities within the United States in Fall 2014. Results: The policies of the ten universities vary. Three of the universities do not have university policies that explicitly address sexual misconduct as assault. Sexual harassment policies tend to focus on the threat of violence, as opposed to perpetrated sexual violence itself. Conclusions: Further efforts in policy revisions need to be made so that more universities will not only implement sexual assault policies, but also implement more comprehensive policies. Part II - Student Attitudes and Perspectives Regarding University Sexual Assault Policy Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess correlations between attitude, opinions and perceptions of sexual assault on campus and perceptions of university policies related to sexual assault among college students. Participants: Students (N=507) at a large public university in the intermountain west region completed a survey in February and March 2015. Methods: Multivariate multiple regression was conducted to test the association between the perceptions of university polices on sexual assault and individual factors. Results: There are some predictive factors. The predictive factors in student perceptions of importance of sexual assault policy include gender, campus organization affiliation, previous assault reporting to university officials, and adherence to particular anti-rape attitudes. Conclusions: Attitudes and perceptions of sexual assault may be very important for successful implementations of university policies related to sexual assault.