2015 HEDS Survey Results on Sexual Assault and Campus Climate

Dear Pitzer Community,

In spring 2015, 31% of The Claremont Colleges’ approximately 8,000 students participated in a Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey conducted by the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium. The voluntary survey polled students about their experiences related to sexual assault and their perceptions about how their academic institution responded to reports of sexual misconduct. The Consortium has posted data from its survey here for your review.  I include here a message from the Presidents Council announcing the release of this data with a summary of key findings.

As part of this aforementioned survey, Pitzer’s Title IX Coordinator and Director of Institutional Research and Assessment have prepared a summary report of survey findings from respondents at Pitzer College. We have made it available on the Pitzer College Title IX webpage at https://pitzer.edu/about/title-ix/

Twenty-nine percent of Pitzer College students (70% women, 30% men) participated in the 2015 HEDS Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey. I strongly urge the entire Pitzer Community to read the report. It provides important new information for the College to strengthen its training and sexual misconduct prevention education. We are reviewing our data to better understand the survey and the results. Our results will assist us in focusing in on our strengths, while working diligently to identify and correct our weaknesses.

This report is the first of its kind, and we will use the data to establish a baseline for the College against which future studies may be compared. Our goal is to strengthen our sexual assault prevention education to combat sexual assault and misconduct on our campus, to further refine and strengthen our response when sexual violence occurs, and to better integrate our programs for the benefit of our students.

Much work has already begun in this area. Pitzer has incorporated the following into its existing outreach and support programs:

Education and Training

  • Targeted training for 1st year students – The Date and Title IX Educational Training
  • Mandatory online training for 1st year students on sexual assault and alcohol awareness (must be completed before able to register for classes)
  • Training for staff and faculty on sexual violence on campus
  • Responsible Employee Training for faculty
  • Teal Dot-Bystander Intervention Training
  • Targeted sexual assault/harassment training for Resident Assistants and Mentors
  • Discrimination Harrassment and-Sexual Misconduct Policies and Procedures (lastest version revised July 2018)
  • Pitzer Title IX website
  • 7C Sexual Misconduct Resource Website
  • Implemented the LiveSafe smartphone app
  • Continued alcohol education training in orientation
  • Sexual violence training for members of Judicial Council
  • Targeted alcohol training for Resident Assistants, Mentors and Orientation Leaders
  • Sexual Assault Resource Wallet Card to be distributed in November

Partnerships

  • Project Sister
  • Agreement with all 7C’s to use same definitions for sexual violence matters
  • Agreement with all 7C’s for cross-campus complaints pertaining to investigation of complaints
  • Coordinated annual training for Title IX investigators
  • 7C EmPOWER Center – New center for Sexual Assault Prevention Support Center for the Claremont Colleges to open in January 2016

Student Organizations (who engage in ongoing education programming and resource support)

  • Pitzer Advocates
  • Safe Sex Society (in place prior to 2014)
  • FemCo (in place prior to 2014)
  • RAs also present programming throughout the year on issues related to dating violence and consent

Each Pitzer community member plays an integral role in the safety of our campus and the individuals that study, teach and work within it. To that effect, I will be asking Pitzer’s Student Senate and the Faculty Executive Committee to hold a Town Hall Forum about the Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey (date and time to be announced). Together as a community, we can all make student health and safety a primary strength of the Pitzer educational experience.

Sincerely,

Thomas Poon
Interim President