April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and UNC has been supportive of the many campus events that will work to bring awareness to sexual violence and its prevention. An event calendar can be found at saam.web.unc.edu.
Also this month, the University will conduct the Association of American Universities’ Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault. As part of efforts to improve conditions on campus surrounding sexual violence, the survey will provide a better understanding of the prevalence of sexual harassment, sexual assault and interpersonal violence at UNC.
In addition to participating in SAAM events, all UNC students should pledge to participate in the survey.
Unfortunately, this survey lacks transparency in that the AAU will only release the results to their respective universities. Schools are not required to publicly release the data, which will make it difficult to compare the efficacy of approaches to combating sexual assault.
Understanding the importance of longitudinal comparisons in studies about sexual violence, UNC has said it intends to release its data after this summer.
Even though the full potential of the survey will be limited by universities that choose not to release their data, UNC will still be able to use it for improvements. The results will help the University gauge the effectiveness of its sexual violence prevention programs and policies.
Responsibility for ensuring the survey yields productive results therefore relies on the participation of as many students as possible.
