Emory University Surveys Its Faculty and Staff on Sexual Misconduct Issues

In recent times, many colleges and universities have undertaken campus climate surveys of their student bodies with the goal of learning the extent of sexual assault, dating violence, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination at their institution. Emory University in Atlanta was one such institution. But Emory took it a step further and conducted a survey of its faculty and staff on sexual misconduct.

Stuart Zola, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, explains that “Emory is committed to understanding the holistic climate concerning sexual violence and harassment across the University. To support that goal, it was important to expand the conversation across our community. This survey allows us to go further in developing campus-wide prevention strategies based on data.”

The survey was sent to more than 11,600 members of the campus community. The response rate was about 20 percent. Of those who responded, 26 percent were faculty members and 74 percent were staff members. Women were 64 percent of survey respondents.

The survey found that 21 percent of respondents said they had experienced or witnessed some form of sexual misconduct since coming to Emory. But only 2 percent said they had reported incidents through the university’s official channels.

More than 80 percent of the faculty and nearly half of the staff said they had receiving training to address issues of sexual misconduct. Only half of the respondents said they would feel comfortable guiding a student or a colleague through the university’s disclosure process.