COLUMBUS (AP) — The percentage of students on Ohio’s public and private four-year campuses who reported being trained in sexual assault prevention nearly doubled during the past year, according to a survey released Wednesday.
They show 30 percent of students at public universities said they received training last year on sexual misconduct prevention compared with 56 percent who said they received training this year. At private colleges, more than 65 percent of students now report having taken such training, up from about 34 percent in 2016.
Statistics from the Changing Campus Culture report:
7% of public university respondents and 5% of private college respondents reported experiencing non-consensual intercourse since attending college.
9% and 6%, respectively, reported experiencing intimate partner violence.
34% and 15%, respectively, reported experiencing sexual harassment since attending college.
15% and 13%, respectively, reported experiencing non-consensual sexual contact.
6% and 8%, respectively, have experienced stalking.
-Source: Ohio Dept. of Higher Education
The findings are part of the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Changing Campus Culture initiative. The state has allotted $2 million to help colleges and universities tackle issues of sexual violence on college campuses.
Last year’s survey found that 21 percent of public university students and 18 percent of private college students had been told by a friend or acquaintance that the student had been sexually assaulted. The term was defined to include rape, sexual harassment and stalking.
This year’s survey doesn’t contain a comparative figure. Instead, project manager Kerry Soller said questions were revised to gain information on students’ individual experiences, with the goal of helping institutions target resources where they’re needed.
Students in Ohio are increasingly involved in activities to address sexual misconduct on campus. In November 2016, ODHE hosted a one-day summit that brought more than 350 students from across Ohio together to learn how to get involved in campus efforts. The summit complemented the work already being done on many Ohio campuses, and further prepared the students who attended to play an active role in this work.