One in five female students reported unwanted sexual contact while attending the University of Arizona, according to a new survey that sheds light on the extent of the problem on campus.
Twenty percent of women and 6 percent of men said they experienced sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the recent online survey of nearly 3,000 UA students.
Gay, transgender and other non-heterosexual students have the highest rate of victimization at 23 percent, the survey found.
Students were asked about different forms of unwanted contact including rape, sexual touching or kissing or contact that took place while a victim was drunk, asleep, unconscious or otherwise incapable of legal consent.
The survey also found many bystanders reluctant to intervene to prevent incidents, even when they witnessed “someone acting in a sexually violent or harassing manner.”
UA senior vice president Melissa Vito, at a news conference Monday, said there’s “nothing shocking” about the UA findings, noting that they’re on par with those at 26 other public and private schools that also took part in the survey by the American Association of Universities.
More than 150,000 students nationwide participated in the research effort, described as one of largest attempts to track the prevalence of the problem on campuses. Other participants included Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Purdue, Michigan and Virginia.
The UA paid the university association $85,000 to take part. Vito said the UA chose to get involved to get a better sense of what its students go through and to see how the school can improve services.
The survey, open to all UA students, was conducted online from April 2-23 and drew 2,852 responses.
Among its other findings:
- Twenty-two percent of respondents “witnessed someone acting in a sexually violent or harassing manner” but most — 58 percent — said they did not intervene.
- Forty-five percent of students “witnessed a drunk person heading for a sexual encounter” and 77 percent did nothing. They often weren’t sure what to do.
- Six percent of respondents said they were stalked while attending the UA. About two-thirds said the offender was someone they knew.
- More than 80 percent of respondents said they had confidence that if they reported a sexual incident, UA officials would take it seriously, conduct a fair investigation and take action against offenders.
Vito said the UA already has taken steps to increase awareness of the problem by connecting with resident assistants and student organizations.
Plans also are in the works to offer students training in how to intervene as bystanders. A new peer-to-peer sexual assault education program will roll out in fall 2016.
UA President Ann Weaver Hart, in a news release, called the new survey “an important tool in our continuing efforts to prevent sexual assault.
“We will use the results to learn more about what our students experience and to ensure they are aware” of available help, Hart said.
