Prestige Matters: College Sexual Assault Reporting

• In Event: 3222 - Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 10. Sexual Violence

Abstract

To what extent and under what conditions does official scrutiny of U.S. colleges and universities influence sexual assault reporting practices? To what extent do prestigious colleges and universities underreport or over report during Title IX investigation? Previous research examining this question has lacked relevant theoretical explanation and failed to address important measures that may influence sexual assault reporting rates. Analyzing data from the Campus Safety and Security dataset from 2013–2015, I examine sexual assault reporting rates at 2,781 U.S. colleges under Title IX investigation and those not under Title IX investigation. Preliminary descriptive statistics indicate that prestigious schools under Title IX investigation report lower rates of sexual assault than prestigious schools not under Title IX investigation, while non-prestigious schools under Title IX investigation report much higher rates of sexual assault than non-prestigious schools not under Title IX investigation. These preliminary statistics suggest prestigious schools may be concealing sexual assault compared to non-prestigious schools, despite official scrutiny. I conclude by discussing implications for policy and future research.

Author

• Eric Allen