During the 2015 session, the Washington state Legislature mandated that all colleges and universities conduct a uniform campus climate assessment that would gauge the prevalence of sexual violence on campuses. The law specifies that the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges organize, distribute and collect responses for the state’s system of community and technical colleges.
The Campus Climate Assessment Communications Plan was developed by members of the Public Information Commission and SBCTC staff.
Key Messages
- Sexual assault, violence and misconduct are problems that we are all committed to address collectively.
- A recent study conducted by the Association of American Universities (AAU) estimates that during the 2014-2015 academic year, 11 percent of undergraduates were victims of nonconsensual sexual contact, the vast majority of them women and students who reported being transgender, genderqueer, non-conforming, questioning and other.
- The survey was developed and distributed to fulfill a legislative mandate.
- The survey follows the highest standards in order to protect respondent’s identities and rights.
- Survey results will help colleges, universities, state agencies and non-governmental organizations better understand and address sexual assault involving college students and employees.