Findings reveal high rate of sexual misconduct among first-year students
The University of Rhode Island’s 2021 Campus Climate Survey shared results regarding sexual misconduct experienced by students, opening up new opportunities for initiatives to be taken by campus officials.
On Oct. 7, the University published the report which indicated that 10 percent of the 4,555 respondents had experienced unwanted sexual contact with a member of the URI community. Conduct referenced in this survey included relationship violence, stalking, unwanted sexual interaction and unwanted sexual contact.
The greatest percentage of these experiences were endured by students in their first semester of college, as stated in the report, making up 85.7 percent of these responses.
Additionally, only 14.3 percent of victims contacted a URI resource after the given incident. A majority of respondents described feeling angry, embarrassed and afraid after the incident, according to the published report.
Kelley Ryan, the coordinator for URI’s Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services (VPAS), said that she is taking steps to help educate students on sexual assault prevention by holding several informational presentations.
She said that she was “not shocked” by the number of students who reported unwanted sexual contact in the survey. She said she hopes that creating more awareness, starting with informational presentations on this issue, will decrease this percentage.
According to Ryan, presentations were held this fall to discuss interpersonal violence with first-year students.
“These presentations covered resources, reporting options and confidentiality, but also how to support one another and how to define interpersonal violence and consent,” Ryan said.
Approximately 2,500 first-year students completed the post-survey for these informational training sessions this semester, according to Ryan. This prevention training was conducted within the first five weeks of the academic year through URI 101 courses.
Unlike last year, these sessions were conducted in person, allowing Ryan to connect with students on a greater level. Ryan believes that this close interaction will have a greater impact on the campus community than alternative methods of activism.
“There’s a lot we can do with websites, and there’s a lot we can do with pamphlets,” Ryan said. “What really matters, I think, is when students meet us face-to-face. They’re much more likely to come and seek help.”
Dave Lavallee, the assistant director of communications at URI, echoed Ryan’s sentiment. He said that Ryan’s handling of these presentations was favorable for the community.
“[Ryan] did a really nice job,” Lavallee said. “This year, we reached students much, much earlier than previous years, which is what we wanted.”
Ryan said that URI’s centralized website concerning sexual misconduct and Title IX is another great outlet for students to report instances and learn about resources on campus.
Hannah Faria-Meade, a freshman at URI, attended a session hosted by Ryan. She felt that the experience was beneficial for herself and other students.
“Actually talking about these things is more impactful than reading about it online,” Faria-Meade said. “It should be a normalized conversation.”
She is hopeful that these training sessions will decrease the amount of sexual violence on URI’s campuses. She also said that she feels more supported by resources on-campus after hearing Ryan’s presentation.
The VPAS center is located within the Health Service’s building and is a confidential resource on campus. Students are encouraged to seek help from VPAS if needed by visiting the center or contacting a staff member.