CUNY-WIDE sexual-assault policy survey results

Purpose of the survey:

Student taskforce members Jerin Alam and Elischia Fludd re-designed the Student Development staff survey created by the taskforce into a student-friendly version on the Internet. The survey link was mass distributed to CUNY students via student, faculty and administrative contacts throughout CUNY in order to garner an inclusive-range of voices throughout CUNY about student knowledge and accessibility of CUNY campuses sexual assault policies.

The anonymous survey yielded the following key results:

Background data:

• 542 total survey responses were received from all CUNY campuses except the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, CUNY School of Law, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Kingsborough Community College and Hostos Community College.
• 386 students chose to identify their status in school (156 students skipped the question). In order of highest to lowest response rates, Seniors make up 23.8%, Juniors 22.0%, Graduate students 19.9%, Sophomores 10.4%, Doctoral students 7.5%, Freshmen 7.3%, Other 6.0% (CUNY alumni, staff, faculty, upper and lower status of current students and an exchange student to CUNY from Paris), and BA/MA students 3.1% of the data.

Knowledge of campus sexual assault information:

• Overall, 60-86% of students are not aware of the information their college has pertaining to sexual assault. Such information includes knowledge of NYS penal law, where to report a sexual assault, available counseling services for those affected by sexual assault, prevention education about sexual assault, the rights of complainants and accused and on-campus disciplinary procedures and clear sanctions for committing sexual assault.

Student satisfaction of campus information on sexual assault:

• 53.6% of students do not feel that their college provides adequate information about sexual assault.

Preferred information source for sexual assault information:

• 50-80% of students preferred information about sexual assault to be given on their college website, student handbook, in pamphlets, orientation seminar and workshops. Other specifications included emails, flyers, mandatory classes, awareness raising programs and rape crisis services.