South SFV Today

Findings from a survey on sexual misconduct and awareness at Stanford University and nine other institutions were released recently. Conducted by Westat, a social science research firm, the survey aimed to address issues related to sexual misconduct in higher education. At Stanford, the survey took place between April 30 and May 30, 2024, with a participation rate of 43%, representing 7,583 responses—the highest among the ten universities involved.

The results, which include both Stanford-specific and national data, are available on the Sexual Assault and Misconduct Surveys data website. "This survey shows sexual misconduct and sexual violence continue to be present in our culture and in our university community," said Provost Jenny Martinez. She expressed disappointment over the high numbers of incidents despite ongoing efforts to address these issues.

The 2024 survey used an updated version of the 2019 AAU Climate Survey. It revealed that many students reported experiencing sexual misconduct or harassment since entering Stanford. The university has made changes since 2019 to reduce such incidents, including consolidating efforts into the SHARE / Title IX Office for better coordination and adding programs like PEERs (Prevent, Educate, Empower, Refer).

Direct comparisons between surveys from 2019 and 2024 are complicated due to COVID-19's impact on campus life. Martinez acknowledged that sufficient improvement has not been made: "What is clear is that we haven’t really made sufficient improvement and these remain serious problems." She emphasized transparency in sharing results as a step toward progress.

Stanford continues its efforts to understand and tackle sexual misconduct through annual Title IX reports that detail prevention strategies and responses to incidents. The survey responses were collected anonymously without any identifying information linked to participants' answers.