The Effects of Policy and Victim/Survivor Resources on Universities’ Reporting of Gender Based Violence

• In Event: Programs and Policies Regarding Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Abstract

Several legislative acts have been implemented that address gender based violence (GBV) and crime reporting at institutes of higher education (IHE)that are regularly accused of underreporting. The Department of Education' (DOE’s) Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague Letter in 2011 reminding IHE’s of their Title IX duties to respond to and report sexual violence and provide services for victim/survivors. This Letter served as a foundation for the 2013 Campus SaVE Act. The current study examines crime reporting over time to determine whether policy and victim/survivor resources are related to reporting GBV. In a sample of 2,612 IHE’s, crime rates decreased or remained stable—except for forcible sex offenses, which increased from 2001 to 2014, particularly when campus rape-related policies were enacted. It appears that resources may partially explain this increase. In a subsample of 149 top IHE’s, those that provided definitions of rape, contacts for sexual assault response coordinators, and reporting procedures on their websites reported a greater number of forcible sex offenses in 2013 and 2014. However, there is no effect of resources on other GBV reports, suggesting that resources need to be targeted specifically toward domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking to improve reporting rates and campus climates.

Author

• Kaitlin M. Boyle, University of Georgia