Understanding sexual violence on campuses

Sexual violence, or gender-based violence which uses sex as a tool of power and control, is a widely misunderstood phenomenon. That is part of why it is so pervasive. Building staffpeople's knowledge base around sexual violence, particularly the specific dynamics of a college setting, is crucial to developing a broad base of support for prevention and for students at risk of both victimization and perpetration.

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Common Myths about Sexual Violence

• Judges Tell: What I Wish I Had Known Before I Presided in an Adult Sexual Assault Case  Developed by the National Judicial Education Program in conjunction with judges experienced in presiding over adult victim sexual assault cases, "Judges Tell" details the dynamics of such cases. http://jec.unm.edu/manuals-resources/manuals/Judges%20Tell.pdf/view
  Tags: Rape Myths  Response 
• Sexual Violence in the Lives of Black Women (PDF:11PAGES/270KB)  It is imperative that our research, treatment, and intervention efforts meet the needs of women of color who have survived sexual violence. http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_SVAAWomen.pdf
  Tags: Gender  Students of Color 
• Transforming a Rape Culture  A groundbreaking collection of diverse voices tackling a wide range of important issues, this book is a much-needed step toward eliminating the sources of rape and rape culture. http://milkweed.org/shop/product/156/transforming-a-rape-culture/
  Tags: Theory  Rape Culture  Curricula  Self-Defense  Students of Color 
• Understanding the Predatory Nature of Sexual Violence (PDF:12pages/42KB)  This paper, by sexual violence researcher Dr. David Lisak, examines the characteristics of undetected rapists - non-stranger rapists whose victims rarely report - in a college setting. http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/cache/documents/1348/134841.pdf
  Tags: Rape Myths  Research 

Research and Data

• 2011 College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll  This survey with 508 college students including 330 women and 178 men reveals that a significant number of college women (43%) are victims of dating violence. http://www.vawnet.org/summary.php?doc_id=2933&find_type=web_desc_GC
  Tags: Research  Intimate Partner Violence 
• Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study  2007. Explores the most common forms of rape in college settings, compared characteristics of drug-facilitated/incapacitated versus forcible rapes and factors that affected reporting of rape. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/219181.pdf
  Tags: Rape Myths  Research 
• Minnesota College Student Health Survey  The College Student Health Survey was designed by Boynton Health Service to give postsecondary institutions a comprehensive look at the health of their students. Includes sexual and domestic violence data. http://www.bhs.umn.edu/surveys/index.htm
  Tags: Research  Reporting  Campus  
• National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  This 2010 report shows that sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence are widespread and a major public health problem in the United States. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/NISVS/index.html
  Tags: Intimate Partner Violence  Research  Sexual Harassment 
• Repeat Rape and Multiple Offending Among Undetected College Rapists (PDF: 80KB/12 pages)  In a survey of 1882 men on college campuses, 120 men self-reported acts which met legal definitions of rape or attempted rape. The repeat rapists averaged 5.8 rapes each. http://www.wcsap.org/sites/www.wcsap.org/files/uploads/webinars/SV%20on%20Campus/Repeat%20Rape.pdf
  Tags: Engaging Men  Research  Masculinity  Perpetration  Campus  
• Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice  The Center for Public Integrity spent 12 months lifting the curtain on how colleges and universities respond to reports of sexual assault. What they found raises many concerns. http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/campus_assault/
  Tags: Campus   Media  Response  Institutional Responsibilities  Research 
• Sexual Violence in Communities of Color Fact Sheet (PDF:4pages/291KB)  From the Women of Color Network. Not specific to campuses. http://womenofcolornetwork.org/docs/factsheets/fs_sexual-violence.pdf
  Tags: Research  Students of Color 
• The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool  Provides customized reports on data drawn from the OPE Campus Crime Statistics. Schools with federal funding are required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act. http://ope.ed.gov/security/
  Tags: Reporting  Research 
• The Campus Sexual Assault Study  2007. Examines the prevalence, nature, and reporting of various types of sexual assault experienced by university students to inform the development of targeted intervention strategies. https://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=243011
  Tags: Research 

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-identified, Gender-Nonconforming, and Queer Specific Resources

• 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People  The most comprehensive national research of its kind to date. The report documents experiences of over 5000 LGBTQQ students, faculty, and staff at US colleges. http://www.campuspride.org/research/
  Tags: LGBTQ  Research 
• Culturally Competent Service Provision to LGBT Survivors  We have an ethical mandate to serve all survivors of sexual violence. Yet LGBT survivors have often been excluded from our work. http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_LGBTSexualViolence.pdf
  Tags: LGBTQ  Response 
• Forge Forward  FORGE supports, educates and advocates for the rights and lives of transgender individuals across the gender spectrum, forging a movement that embraces and empowers our diverse complexities. http://forge-forward.org/anti-violence/
  Tags: Community Mobilization  Gender  LGBTQ  Webinars 
• Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project  The Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project is a grassroots, non-profit organization founded to assist and support victims and survivors of domestic violence, focusing on the GLBTQ community. http://gmdvp.org/
  Tags: LGBTQ  Intimate Partner Violence 
• Hate Violence against LGBT People in the United States (PDF:95pages/5.5GB)  This report provides the most comprehensive data on anti-LGBT violence in the US and provides recommendations for ways to advance prevention of hate violence. http://www.avp.org/documents/2008HVReportDraft3smallerfile.pdf
  Tags: LGBTQ  Research 
• LGBTQArchitect  This website will guide you through documentation for campus administrators working with LGBTQ populations. Use these documents to construct a program for yourself. http://architect.lgbtcampus.org/
  Tags: Toolkit  Social Norms Change  LGBTQ 
• OutFront Minnesota Anti-Violence Program  A broad-based effort to end violence and harassment against LGBT community members in Minnesota and support victim/survivors of violence. http://www.outfront.org/programs/avp
  Tags: LGBTQ 
• The LGBT Community and Sexual Violence  This one hour webinar provides basic information about LGBTQ communities. Specific focus is on counseling techniques and prevention education tips for rape crisis center advocates and educators. http://www.pcar.org/lgbt-community-and-sexual-violence
  Tags: LGBTQ  Response  Webinars 

Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Portal

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For questions about this page, please contact the Injury and Violence Prevention program at:health.injuryprevention@state.mn.us

See also Health Promotion and Chronic Disease

Alcohol Facilitation Art and Theater Athletes Best Practices Bystander Intervention Campaign Campus Case Studies Coalition Community Mobilization Consent Curricula Engaging Men Environmental Change Family Framing the Issue Gender Institutional Responsibilities Intimate Partner Violence LGBTQ Laws, Policy and Legislation Masculinity Media Perpetration Prevention Public Health Rape Culture Rape Myths Rape and Sexual Violence Crisis Center Reporting Research Response Security Self-Defense Sexual Harassment Social Norms Change Students of Color Theory Toolkit Webinars