Nowhere to Go: Barriers to Services for Students Who are Victims of Campus Sexual Assault

• In Event: Addressing Victimization on Campus: Research Findings from the University of Kentucky's Campus Climate Survey

Abstract

In recent years, legal reforms (e.g., Title IX and Clery Act) have strived to eliminate barriers on college campuses that discourage victims of sexual assault from reporting. In 2015, the University of Kentucky (UK) collected population data on their 24,382 students through the Campus Attitudes Toward Safety (CATS) survey and found that 42% of students who experienced a sexual assault did not report their assault to UK resources. This presentation will examine: (a) the characteristics of students who did not report their sexual assaults, and (b) the qualitative data illustrating the main reasons why these students did not seek help from student service resources. The results have implications for implementing new campus initiatives and reforming current programs to better serve university students.

Authors

• Jaspreet K. Chahal, University of Kentucky

• Kellie Rose Lynch, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Claire M. Renzetti, University of Kentucky

• Diane R. Follingstad, University of Kentucky