Bass Connections Team focuses on sexual misconduct
Prevention of Sexual Misconduct on University Campuses: System-level Factors, Individual Characteristics and Psychological Processes
Table tents, postcards, and flyers are being distributed around campus as part of this Bass Connections Team’s effort to disseminate sexual misconduct data from the 2018 Duke Student Experiences Survey. The overall goal of this project is “to employ rigorous scientific methods to better understand and address sexual misconduct, and to work with Duke students, administration, faculty and staff to provide a safer environment to everyone on campus.”
Focusing on undergraduate sexual misconduct, the project seeks to both better understand the causes and devise novel preventions. Finishing the first of two years on this project, the team has focused on reviewing relevant research and best practices from other institutions and examining the nature of sexual misconduct at Duke, including contributing factors and associated processes. For the upcoming year the team will develop, test, and launch interventions that will address the key factors associated with sexual misconduct.
While these data within the Duke Climate Survey have been helpful, they have also generated additional questions regarding students’ experiences, perceptions and the characteristics of sexual misconduct on campus. Among efforts to help answer these questions, the team ran focus groups with undergraduate students. These data (and other data collected through interviews) will be used to identify the main aspects of sexual misconduct at Duke and the underlying processes and factors affecting it. This resulting information will be used to direct the development of interventions, addressing the underlying factors and reshaping aspects of the culture, norms and policies associated with sexual misconduct.
“It’s been a great experience for me to work with the team and to be able to learn from the students and faculty. There is a real commitment to make a difference and it’s a privilege to be able to work on such an important project with a great group of researchers.” – Moran Anisman-Razin, Team Leader
Team members:
Team leaders: Moran Anisman-Razin, Suzanne Shanahan (KIE), & Sim Sitkin (Fuqua)
Graduate students: Adam Stanaland, Anna Sturkey
Undergraduate students: Carolyn Bell,Lizzy Collins, Ali Davis, Ryan Geitner, Carly Levi, Sonali Mehta, & Nicoly Santos.
Read the full 2018 Student Experiences Survey
Need help? Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response