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II. Prevalence

The prevalence of various types of sexual and interpersonal violence are obviously a primary focus of any campus climate survey. In each of the last three years, Miami ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs have been asked about whether they had experienced any of the following types of sexual violence: rape, attempted rape, coercion, attempted coercion, or unwanted sexual contact. In 2015, ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs were asked about their experiences “...in the last 12 months, or since coming to Miami (whichever is most recent).” In 2016, the Miami survey adopted the longer-run perspective used by the national ARC3 survey, asking ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs about incidents “...since coming to Miami;” this longer perspective was maintained in the 2017 survey.

Table 1 provides prevalence figures for the full-time Oxford ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs who responded to the relevant survey questions, and Table 2 summarizes the results over the last three surveys; thus, in Table 2, it is important to note that the 2015 survey asked only about experiences in the last 12 months, or since coming to Miami. It is also important to note that for Oxford undergraduates, over 13% of the reported incidents of sexual and interpersonal violence occurred while ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs were “away from campus, at home or somewhere else not associated with Miami.” This serves as a critical reminder that sexual and interpersonal violence is experienced by our ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs not just within our campus community, but in their home communities as well.

The 26.5% victimization rate in 2017 reinforces what we have learned in our surveys of the prior two years—that Miami ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs report rates of sexual and interpersonal violence similar to what is observed on other college campuses nationally. It should also be noted that these prevalence statistics do not reflect the total number of incidents of sexual and interpersonal violence that have been experienced. As in prior years, the statistics reveal only the most significant or most serious reported experience, irrespective of whether there were multiple infractions and/or occasions.

Prevalence statistics would not be expected to change dramatically between 2016 and 2017, since the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ populations have such significant overlap. The large jump in non-victim status in 2017 and the decline in rape prevalence illustrates, then, the reality that the statistics will be sensitive to the selection of the survey respondents; thus, the results are best interpreted as reflecting the experiences of the 27% of the Miami ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs who responded to the survey. Still, assuming that all respondents were truthful, we can derive lower-bound estimates of the proportion of Miami full-time undergraduates who have experienced (in their time at Miami) some type of sexual and interpersonal violence. There were 321 reported female rape victims in our sample, and 8,600 Oxford females overall (3.7%), and 76 male rape victims (out of 8,381 male ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs; for a lower bound prevalence rate of .9% for Oxford males).

The ODHE Benchmark questions included several that directly asked respondents about their experiences since attending college. Miami’s reported rate of:

• sexual harassment (16.69%) was lower than the Ohio university main campuses average (29.77);
• stalking (5.65) was very similar to the Ohio university main campuses average (5.10);
• non-consensual sexual contact (20.38) was higher than the Ohio university main campuses average (12.32);
• non-consensual sexual intercourse (4.77) was below the Ohio university main campuses average (5.78); and
• intimate partner violence (4.39) was lower than the Ohio university main campuses average (6.47)

III. Other Results and Benchmarks

MIami’s education and prevention efforts have put a significant emphasis on training over the last two years. All new incoming Miami ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs are required to take an online course on sexual and interpersonal violence (called “Haven”). In addition, all ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs enrolled in UNV 101, all new members of Greek organizations, and scholarship athletes receive additional training as part of the StepUp! bystander program delivered by the HAWKS Peer Health Educators within Miami’s Wellness office. Almost 74% of Miami ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs report having received training (of those who answered the question, almost 79% reported receiving training), which is far higher than the Ohio statewide ”All University Main Campuses” average of 56.38% reported by the ODHE Changing Campus Culture report.

Among the learning objectives of the training are to educate ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs about where to make a report and where to get help if they or someone they know experiences an incident of sexual or interpersonal violence. Over 86% of the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs responding to the question indicated that they were either a little, somewhat or very knowledgeable about where to report an incident, and over 88% answered similarly on knowing where to get help.

While only 3.7% of victims indicate that they reported the incident to police or university officials, it does not seem to be for lack of trust in the university. For example, over 68% of ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs responding report that they believe campus officials would take a report of sexual misconduct very or extremely seriously, and this proportion rises to over 89% when adding those who select “somewhat” seriously. Similar numbers regarding how likely it is that campus officials would support a person making a report are 64.8% and 86.3%. Because of the small number of reports, it is not possible to discern whether there is a pattern between propensity to report and confidence in the university (such as, “If someone were to report an incident of sexual misconduct on campus, campus officials would take the report seriously.”) . Of note, of the 229 victims who responded to the question, more than half—127—indicated that they told someone, underscoring the importance that all ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs have knowledge about reporting and support resources, a point that is made at Miami’s summer orientation with all incoming ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs.

IV. Summary and Next Steps

¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ is committed to maintaining a healthy and safe living, learning, and working environment for all ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs, faculty, and staff. The 2015 and 2016 climate surveys have provided us with initial baseline data regarding our current campus culture, and provided direction as to how to design and target ongoing educational, awareness, and prevention efforts. Sexual and interpersonal violence education, awareness, and prevention are crucial in order to change our campus culture to be more inclusive, respectful, and to create a campus that will not tolerate sexual and interpersonal violence.

The 2017 Miami Student Health Survey included questions related to three of the biggest challenges to ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ success on our campus and many others—alcohol misuse, sexual and interpersonal violence, and mental health. The number and (perhaps) quality (from a data validity perspective) of responses to this survey was bolstered by our institutional commitment to learning more about these issues—and the relationship and interactions between these issues—in our own local environment, as illustrated by the incentives provided by the president’s office and the provost's assistance in allowing the administration of the survey during class time. This commitment will be sustained and redoubled, as will the importance of the data, as Miami strategically attacks these issues through the emerging Healthy Miami initiative.

Currently, the data and results have been shared with the offices and committees most closely associated with the related education and prevention efforts as well as the strategic initiatives in these areas. The data are being further analyzed and evaluated in an effort to inform our education and prevention work and build a safer and better community for all ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs.