Washington University in St. Louis Releases Findings from Higher Education Sexual Misconduct and Awareness Survey

In an effort to gain understanding about sexual assault and harassment on campus, Washington University in St. Louis recently joined nine other leading universities to commission and conduct the Higher Education Sexual Misconduct and Awareness (HESMA) survey. Administered this spring by the social science research firm Westat, the survey’s results build upon findings from the 2019 Association of American Universities (AAU) Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct, also coordinated by Westat.

“At WashU, the safety and well-being of our community are our highest priorities,” said Beverly Wendland, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Sexual assault and harassment are among the most difficult topics we face as a campus community, but we are committed to doing everything we can to mitigate and ultimately reduce the number of incidents that take place. The data gleaned from this important survey will help inform how we respond to sexual misconduct, including evidence-based policies, support services and interventions. I’m grateful to our partner institutions and Westat for their collaboration on this insightful study.”

While there are useful comparisons to be drawn between the HESMA survey and the 2019 AAU survey, there were a number of differences that preclude an exact comparison across some data points. Among these, a new response category was added for students who identify as gender non-binary, transgender, questioning or self-identified in a different way (GNTQSI); and the new study also included a smaller sample size of universities and survey subjects.

All degree-seeking students at WashU were encouraged to participate. A total of 1,838 individuals took the survey, a response rate of 12.5% compared to 16.4% in 2019. By and large, WashU students reported similar experiences compared to the entire HESMA survey group.

Key findings and indicators include:

• In the last year, 8.9% of WashU undergraduate women experienced sexual assault by any tactic, compared to 16.6% in 2019.
• Since entering WashU, 26.9% of undergraduate women experienced sexual assault by any tactic, compared to 35.1% in 2019.
• Rates for sexual assault since entering WashU by any tactic were higher for undergraduate students compared to graduate students, regardless of gender identification. For example, 13.6% of undergraduate men and 2.1% of graduate men reported sexual assault by any tactic since entering WashU.
• 20.2% of WashU students reported that they had experienced sexually harassing behavior that interfered, limited their ability to participate, or created an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. That rate was 47.1% for GNTQSI undergrads.
• Just 13.2% of those who said they had experienced sexual assault or harassment indicated that they had contacted at least one WashU resource for support.

“While we’re grateful to see some improvement, including the reporting of lower incidence of assault for undergraduate women compared to 2019, we know we still have work to do,” said Anna Gonzalez, vice chancellor for student affairs. “We also know some students who completed the survey were remote for a portion of their time at WashU due to COVID, which might have had an impact on the incidence rate. It’s clear there are improvements that can and should be made, especially when it comes to awareness about the support and prevention programs WashU currently offers. The insight we gain from the survey will help us take steps to tailor the support we offer to our students to make sure we’re meeting their needs.”

The survey results indicate that WashU students are unlikely to ignore harassing behavior or situations that they believed could have led to a sexual assault. More than half of students who recognized each kind of sexual misconduct took some action — most frequently checking in with the person who seemed impacted by the behavior.

There are a variety of sexual assault and relationship violence prevention programs available at WashU.