Edit Resource HEDS Sexual Assault Climate Survey 2015

In March 2015, Colgate participated in the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium’s Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey.

This page contains descriptive language of sexual assault and other gender-based violence that may be triggering to survivors and others.

In March 2015, Colgate participated in the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium’s Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey. We wanted to learn our students’ perceptions of Colgate’s climate for unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault, how Colgate responds to sexual assaults, and whether and how often they have experienced unwanted sexual contact or sexual assault. We are sharing the results in order to engage the campus community in informed discussion about how to address this complex and difficult issue.

This page shares a summary of the survey results, including items of highest concern (find the full data set here).

VIEW FULL RESULTS

Survey Information

Timing, Distribution Method, and Scope

Administered electronically to all students February 23, 2015 - March 16, 2015
Responses were anonymous
All demographic information was voluntarily self-reported; therefore, not all counts add up to total who responded.
Women are overrepresented in the sample (70%)
Not a random sample, so it is difficult to generalize to our undergraduate population; the purpose of the survey was rather to inform about respondents’ experiences and perceptions

DOWNLOAD AS GRAPHS

Response Rate

718 students = 25.5% of Colgate students
Benchmark: Indicates aggregate average of responses; 21,403 respondents from 54 private four-year institutions
Response rate at Colgate is comparable to that of benchmark institutions

Class year breakdown

2015	29.7% (211 Respondents)
2016	22.1% (157 Respondents)
2017	23.5% (167 Respondents)
2018	24.7% (176 Respondents)

Gender breakdown

Men	Women
29.5% (210 respondents)	70.5% (502 respondents)

Race/ethnicity breakdown

African American/Black	3.9% (28 Respondents)
Asian American/Asian	3.2% (23 Respondents)
Hispanic/Latino/a	6.5% (47 Respondents)
White	75.5% (542 Respondents)
Two or more races	4.2% (30 Respondents)
Not a US citizen or permanent resident	5.6% (40 Respondents)
Unknown	1.1% (8 Respondents)

Sexual orientation breakdown

Asexual	2.1% (15 Respondents)
Bisexual	4.4% (31 Respondents)
Gay	1.3% (9 Respondents)
Heterosexual	87.2% (621 Respondents)
Lesbian	1.4% (10 Respondents)
Pansexual	0.8% (6 Respondents)
Queer	0.4% (3 Respondents)
Questioning	2.1% (15 Respondents)
Fill in	0.3% (2 Respondents)

Summary of Findings

These findings are a summary of the survey results, including items of highest concern.

Views on General Climate at Colgate

Students “strongly agree” or “agree” with the following

Statement	Colgate	Benchmark
Faculty, staff, and administrators at Colgate are genuinely concerned about students’ welfare	83.0% (592 respondents)	86.1%
Students at Colgate are genuinely concerned about the welfare of other students.	56.1% (401 respondents)	73.9%
I feel safe on this campus.	84% (600 respondents)	84.4%

Views on Sexual Assault at Colgate

Students “strongly agree” or “agree” that the number of sexual assaults [at Colgate] is low

Colgate	Benchmark
29.4% (210 respondents)	52.7%

Information and Education

Students received information or education from Colgate on...

Statement	Colgate	Benchmark
What sexual assault is and how to recognize it	89.3% (636 respondents)	78.7%
How to report an incident of sexual assault	81.2% (578 respondents)	63%
Procedures for investigating a sexual assault	62.6% (446 respondents)	37.1%
Actions you can take to help prevent sexual assault	83.8% (597 respondents)	72.4%

Such as someone making sexual comments about your body; someone making unwelcome sexual advances, propositions, or suggestions to you; or someone telling you sexually offensive jokes or kidding about your sex or gender-specific traits.

Such as sending you sexual emails, texts, or pictures; posting sexual comments about you on blogs or social media; showing you sexually offensive pictures or objects; leering at you or making lewd gestures towards you; or touching oneself sexually in front of you.

Such as someone briefly groping you, rubbing sexually against you, pinching you, or engaging in any other brief inappropriate or unwelcome touching of your body.

How often have you experienced the following forms of unwanted sexual contact while you were [at Colgate]?

Unwanted conduct	Frequency	Colgate	Benchmark
Verbal behaviors	At least once	71.5% (489 respondents)	54.2%
Verbal behaviors	Never	28.5% (195 respondents)	45.8%
Nonverbal behaviors	At least once	32.3% (221 respondents)	23.3%
Nonverbal behaviors	Never	67.7% (463 respondents)	76.7%
Brief physical contact	At least once	63.2% (432 respondents)	39.8%
Brief physical contact	Never	36.8% (252 respondents)	60.2%

Sexual Assault

Have you been sexually assaulted* [at Colgate]?

Response	Colgate	Benchmark
Yes	11.9% (85 Respondents; 80 Women)	7.4%
Suspect I was, but not certain	5.6% (40 Respondents; 36 Women)	3.1%

*Sexual assault includes touching of a sexual nature, oral sex, vaginal sex, anal sex, anal or vaginal penetration with a body part other than a penis or tongue, or by an object, like a bottle or candle.

The following questions were only answered by 85 respondents that answered “yes” to “Since starting at Colgate, have you been sexually assaulted while you were on campus or while you were off campus during an event or program sponsored by Colgate?”

Acts During Sexual Assault

When you were sexually assaulted, which of the following happened? (Check all that apply)

Sexual act	Colgate	Benchmark
Touching of a sexual nature	95.2% (80 Respondents)	89.4%
Oral sex	25.0% (21 Respondents)	24.3%
Vaginal sex	48.8% (41 Respondents)	41.1%
Anal sex	3.6% (3 Respondents)	4.2%
Anal or vaginal penetration by body part other than penis, or tongue, or by an object	7.1% (6 Respondents)	8.6%

This incident of sexual assault involved...

	Colgate	Benchmark
[Threat of] physical force, or using coercion/intimidation	31.7% (26 Respondents)	33.2%
[Use of] physical force against you	58.8% (47 Respondents)	45.4%
Other people drinking alcohol	94.0% (78 Respondents)	73.6%
Other people using drugs	22.0% (18 Respondents)	19.3%
Your drinking alcohol	89.2% (74 Respondents)	63.7%

Timing

When in your academic career did the sexual assault occur?

First year	44.0% (37 Respondents)
Second year	23.8% (20 Respondents)
Third year	15.5% (13 Respondents)
Fourth year	3.6% (3 Respondents)
Summer, but on campus or at Colgate event	6.0% (5 Respondents)
Other	7.1% (6 Respondents)

Location

Location of sexual assault

Residential building	73.5% (61 Respondents)
Nonresidential building	10.8% (9 Respondents)
Off-campus (but not at another college or university)	15.7% (13 Respondents)

Relationship to Assailant

Relationship to people who sexually assaulted you (check all that apply)

Stranger	31.0% (26 Respondents)
Non-romantic friend	52.4% (44 Respondents)
Casual date or hookup	27.4% (23 Respondents)
Current romantic partner	2.4% (2 Respondents)
Ex-romantic partner	2.4% (2 Respondents)
Other	3.6% (3 Respondents)

Full Results

This page shares a summary of the survey results, including items of highest concern. The full set of survey results is also available on the Office of Institutional Analysis survey page.