ABINGTON, Pa. — Penn State Abington recently released the results of a survey of students’ experiences with and attitudes about sexual misconduct. The survey found that about 90% of students indicated they feel safe from sexual harassment or sexual violence on or around the campus. The results are part of a comprehensive University-wide survey conducted last fall.
The Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey is part of an ongoing broad-based initiative by Penn State to significantly curtail sexual misconduct on all of its campuses, while at the same time expanding its efforts to provide an effective response to any cases. The survey asked students about their experiences, as well as about their attitudes, and awareness of the resources available for preventing and responding to sexual misconduct.
“The results of this survey are important in allowing Abington to understand the current climate and to continue our battle against sexual misconduct. Providing a safe and secure environment for our students to live and learn is our priority across the commonwealth,” said Andrea Dowhower, interim vice president for Penn State Student Affairs.
“I want to thank all of the students who took the time to complete the survey,” said Abington Chancellor Margo DelliCarpini. “Violence has no place in our community and surveys like this provide our campus with actionable data from which we can continue to improve our programs and support for all students.”
At Penn State Abington, a random sampling of 1,500 of the more than 3,000 students received the survey, and the response rate was 19 percent. University-wide, a representative sample of 7,352 students completed the survey, including both undergraduates and graduate students. Completely anonymous, voluntary and completed electronically, the survey covered topics such as whether a student thinks the University would take a report of sexual misconduct seriously, whether the student is aware of resources available and whether they would walk a friend home who had had too much to drink.
Summaries of the findings for each of the 23 Penn State campuses where students were surveyed, including Penn State Abington can be found online.
The survey itself was based on the Administration Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) survey, which was created based on suggestions from the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. Penn State’s survey was administered by the Office of Student Affairs Research and Assessment, which partnered with DatStat, a data research company the University has worked with on other survey projects.
For more information about resources to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct at Penn State Abington, contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
