Survey results revealed Monday confirmed what Chancellor Rebecca Blank said many already knew: Sexual assault is a big problem for the UW-Madison community.
University leaders held a conference to discuss the results of a survey taken by more than 9,000 UW-Madison undergraduate and graduate students last spring to gauge campus climate surrounding sexual assault.
"Sexual assault concerns me deeply, not just as the leader of this university, but as the mother of a college sophomore," Blank said. "I want to state unambiguously that every student has the right to be safe. Sexual violence and misconduct are unacceptable."
The Association of American Universities Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Assault Climate Survey was administered last spring to 27 institutions across the country, partly in response to a call to action from the White House to protect students from sexual assault.
At Monday’s conference, UW-Madison administration revealed, based on the survey results, that one in four female undergraduates has experienced sexual assault, but that very few of those are reported.
Since January 2015, the university has received 136 reports of sexual assault, while the UW-Madison Police Department has only received six, UWPD Chief Susan Riseling said.
Blank said the university is discussing adding a “second dose” of “Tonight,” an online prevention program used to inform incoming freshmen and transfer students on sexual assault and campus climate.
Panel speakers at the conference highlighted education and outreach programs on campus that are meant to combat sexual violence. Some students, however, disagreed with the extent to which these programs make a difference.
Sophomore Rachel Becker said she applauded UWPD’s “Don’t Be That Guy” campaign posters for targeting perpetrators, but thought their focus was too narrow.
“I don’t know that targeting guys specifically as a gender is a good way of going about it,” Becker said. “There should be more promotion of the way guys should be as opposed to the way guys shouldn’t be in regards to how they treat women sexually and socially in general.”
Students also play an important role in addressing issues of sexual violence, UW-Madison graduate student Valyncia Raphael said, which is why a new student Title IX Advisory Committee will launch next month. Students on the committee will help define federal and UW System-wide guidelines for dealing with sexual assault.
“We need to work together with the administration to protect the Badger experience through continued student activism,” Raphael said.
She added the committee will also encourage discourse and teamwork between students and administrators, creating a forum to “break the silence” across a larger community.
“Ending sexual violence is a community responsibility,” Raphael said. “Action will take collaboration.”
