What Happens Here: Sexual Violence Prevention and Response
Biennial Campus Climate Survey 2024
YOUR VOICE: WHY THIS MATTERS
The What Happens Here: Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Campus Climate Survey takes a snapshot of our culture every two years by measuring the prevalence of sexual assault on campus over the past two years and assessing students’ attitudes and awareness about sexual misconduct and how to report it on campus. Gathering this information helps inform the College’s collective efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault and other sexual misconduct. The survey usually takes less than 20 minutes to complete. We welcome everyone to spread the word about this survey! Share this What Happens Here Campus Climate Survey web link widely, as it is the central location for information about campus resources, past surveys and survey results.
What can I do if I am feeling uncomfortable about answering (a) question(s)?
Some of the questions are personal and might cause discomfort. If any questions asked cause distress, you may stop responding to the survey at any time. Advocates from the Support, Advocacy, and Violence Prevention Office (SAVP) are available to support you as you complete the survey. To schedule an appointment, don't hesitate to contact savp@vassar.edu. If you need immediate support, SAVP Advocates are available 24/7 by calling the CRC and asking to speak with the advocate on-call. Should you wish to talk with someone further, you can access information about campus, local, and national resources for unwanted sexual contact, sexual assault, and relationship violence at any point in the survey by going to the What Happens Here Campus Climate Survey website. This information will also be provided at the end of the survey.
HOW TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY
The survey opens on Monday October 28th, 2024. Students receive an email invitation with a unique weblink to access the survey. Students who do not participate in the survey are reminded throughout the survey period about accessing the survey. Your participation is completely voluntary. You can provide only one set of responses to this survey. As such, no one else has or should use the link sent to you, or your answers can be lost. You may stop the survey at any time or choose not to answer particular questions. If you wish to stop taking the survey, leave the survey without hitting the “Submit” button at the end. We will not record your responses until you hit the “Submit” button. If you cannot complete this survey in one session, you may exit, return later by following the same link to arrive at this page, and continue providing your responses from where you left off. Your earlier answers will be saved.
REGISTER TO WIN PRIZES!!!
This year, we are offering incentives to those who participate in the survey. Daily prizes include Vassar swag (e.g., a Vassar bag, a backpack filled with notebooks and study aids, hats, stickers, pins, teddy bears, and water bottles). In addition to the prizes mentioned above, one $50 gift card will be raffled off each day the survey is open. All students who complete the survey are eligible to participate in the raffle. The link to enter your name into the prize raffle will be shared after you complete the survey and click the SUBMIT button on the last page of the survey. You will be taken to a separate registration form that is not linked to your survey answers. If your name is not drawn, it will remain in the pool of raffle participants until the final drawing. Winners will be notified by email.
SURVEY FAQS
WHY DOES VASSAR ADMINISTER THIS SURVEY?
New York State’s Enough is Enough (“EIE”) law requires colleges and universities to conduct biennial campus climate surveys to measure the prevalence of sexual assault on campus in the past two years and assess students’ attitudes and awareness about sexual misconduct and how to report it on campus to help inform efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault and other sexual misconduct at Vassar College. The information gathered from this survey every two years is integral in further developing policies, and prevention and intervention programming aimed at ending sexual violence and relationship violence for the Vassar community.
IS THIS SURVEY FOR ME? YES, IT IS.
All enrolled Vassar College students are invited to participate in the survey. It has been designed to be for everyone (who wants to participate). Your voice is extremely important; we want you to feel comfortable answering these questions freely and honestly. Your responses will be reported in terms of groups of students rather than as individuals. Your anonymity is a priority, and any information you share on this survey cannot be identified.
IS THIS SURVEY CONFIDENTIAL?
Students will not be asked to provide any identifying information; the information you provide on the survey will remain confidential. These survey data will be kept confidential and used only for information gathering and research. Survey results will not report any group data for groups of fewer than five (5) individuals that may be small enough to compromise identity. Instead, the analyst will combine the groups to eliminate any potential for identifiable demographic information.
The Office of Institutional Research will keep the data secure and will coordinate all studies of them. Once responses to the survey have been well studied, likely sometime in Fall 2023, primary findings from the survey will be made available to the campus in one or more of the following: internal web-based publication, one or more open presentations to the campus, and hardcopy reports.
REPORTING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND VIOLENCE AND THIS SURVEY
Please be aware that your responses to the survey are as a research participant only. As such, and because of the survey's anonymity, this survey is not, and cannot be, a mechanism for filing official reports of sexual misconduct (e.g., sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating or domestic violence, or other behaviors) with the College. The College will not treat the information you provide as an official report, and your responses will not be part of any academic, medical, disciplinary, or other records. Should you wish to report an incident or seek support, don't hesitate to contact any of the resource(s) listed below, also found on the website for this survey. If you would like to file a report with the College, explore options through the College or off-campus, or request support services and accommodations only, contact Belinda Guthrie, AVP for Institutional Equity and Title IX Coordinator, by emailing TitleIX@vassar.edu, by telephone (845) 437-7924, or file a report online at go.vassar.edu/titleixreport
RESOURCES AND SUPPORT
Vassar College has several resources for survivors of sexual and relationship violence, as well as for those looking to be more active in their support. If you or someone you know needs resources regarding sexual misconduct at Vassar College, students can get support from several confidential and non-confidential resources. The links below can help you connect with those resources for you or someone you know.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SURVEY
Vassar College wants to foster a community where sexual violence and sexual misconduct are not tolerated and where students feel valued and supported. This survey was designed in collaboration with the Title IX Student Advisory Committee to gather information about the prevalence of sexual violence and relationship violence on campus, students’ knowledge about reporting policies and resources for survivors, and students’ attitudes related to sexual violence and relationship violence. Results from this survey will be used to further develop prevention and
intervention programming aimed at ending sexual violence and relationship violence within our campus community. If you have any questions about this study, they are welcome, and we encourage you to contact the Office of Equal Opportunity & Affirmative / Title IX, Office of Institutional Research, the Support, Advocacy, and Violence Prevention (SAVP) Office or any of student members of the Title IX Student Advisory Committee listed below.
Title IX Student Advisory Committee Members
- Oliva Barba
- Reese Feldberg
- Isaac Rudnick
- Alma Sutherland-Roth
- Makaela Weldon
- Margaret Fuentes Velasco
If you want to discuss your rights as a research participant, contact the Vassar Office of Institutional Research (845) 437-7601) or the Vassar Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Primary Investigators for this study
Belinda Guthrie, AVP for Institutional Equity & Title IX Coordinator (845) 437-7924)
Biniam Tesfamariam, Director of Institutional Research and Decision Support (845) 437-7601)