Meet the Sexual Misconduct Survey Council!
Background: To give institutions of higher education and the State better insight about sexual misconduct at Oregon-based colleges and universities, the Oregon Legislature passed a law that all schools must conduct a sexual misconduct climate survey and share the results publicly. The survey will be given to the schools at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, and they must administer it within two years. The law also requires the schools to provide resources and support to survivors, and publicly report information about how sexual misconduct is handled on their campuses. For more information, please see the HECC Sexual Misconduct Reporting webpage.
Our purpose: The Sexual Misconduct Survey Council (SMSC) is writing the survey and implementation guide that will be used by all of the schools.
Who we are: The Council is made up of 23 people who represent different groups with an interest in campus sexual misconduct, including students, legislators, academic professionals, and leaders at non-profit organizations. Agency staff at the Higher Education Coordinating Commission support the work of the Council.
What we’re doing: Since May, 2024, the Council and its subcommittees have been meeting regularly to develop the survey and implementation recommendations within the law’s guidelines.
We plan to have a draft of the survey ready by February, 2025. We will pilot the survey with students to make sure that the questions are clear. The draft implementation recommendations will be ready for review by college and university staff by May, 2025. They will include information on how campuses can inform their students about the survey, collect the information confidentially, and analyze the data provided by the survey.
We will incorporate the feedback given to us by students and academic professionals, and a final draft of the survey and implementation guidelines will be approved by the HECC before being sent out to colleges and universities around Labor Day, 2025.
How you can get involved: All of our meetings are public, and anyone is welcome to attend. You can sign up for notices about upcoming meetings here. If you are interested in reviewing the draft survey in the Spring of 2025, you can complete this interest form. We occasionally have openings on the Council, and you can submit an application to be considered for appointment.
Building on Existing Sexual Misconduct Climate Surveys
The Sexual Misconduct Survey Council (SMSC) is reviewing many existing surveys and research as it develops Oregon’s survey. Some of the surveys have been developed by research consortiums, and have been validated and evaluated. Among the most well-known and well-studied are the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) survey, the Association of American Universities (AAU) survey, the Campus Climate Survey Validation Study (CCSVS), and the Administrator Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) survey. Links to those surveys, evaluation reports, and other scholarly information on campus climate surveys is available here.
Trauma-informed Surveys
Sexual misconduct climate surveys ask students to share very personal and sometimes painful information about themselves. To minimize the risk of harm, Oregon’s sexual misconduct climate survey law (ORS 350.335-346) includes a provision that it must be written using a trauma-informed framework.
Trauma-informed language uses words and phrases that are respectful of the reader’s emotional well-being. In a survey, this means questions that are clear, neutral, and supportive. Students of all backgrounds and experiences should feel included.
The way that sexual misconduct surveys are presented can also support students. The Sexual Misconduct Survey Council will be making recommendations on trauma-informed strategies that could include “emergency exit” buttons on each page, a list of supportive resources for students, and more.
The Council is using information from existing surveys and research on trauma-informed frameworks as it drafts the survey. In the spring of 2025, students and advocates will be able to provide feedback, and changes can be made before the survey is approved for distribution. All of these steps will help ensure that Oregon’s survey is trauma-informed, and that students feel safe completing it.
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