Duke Student Experiences Survey Results Available
A confidential survey conducted in the spring of 2016 to improve Duke’s understanding of the extent and nature of sexual misconduct involving Duke students and to gather students’ views of campus climate has been completed.
About 70 percent of Duke’s undergraduate, graduate and professional students who were 18 years of age or older were invited to participate in the survey, with a response rate of 47 percent.
The survey found that a clear majority of students at all levels reported feeling safe on campus, that Duke tries to keep students safe, and that Duke University Police are concerned for and trying to protect students. Both undergraduate and graduate/professional students generally regarded faculty and university leadership as concerned about student safety, but a sizable percentage of undergraduate women in particular felt that university leadership could be doing more to protect the safety of students generally. And more than half of undergraduate women felt that Duke is not doing a good job of preventing sexual assault in particular, the survey found.
“While much has transpired in the past decade to prevent and effectively respond to incidents of sexual misconduct, the survey results demonstrate how much more we must do as a community to further reduce incidents and hold perpetrators accountable,” said Larry Moneta, Duke’s vice president for student affairs. “That is our mandate and our pledge.”
The Office of Student Affairs (with support from the Office for Institutional Equity and other university offices) intends to present this report to the Sexual Misconduct Task Force for further analysis. The Task Force -- consisting of students, faculty and staff -- will be asked to develop both short-term and long-term recommendations for Duke’s senior leadership to enhance the university’s prevention and response efforts.
The full report is available here.