The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

UI conducting second survey on sexual misconduct

One year after the release of its first Speak Out Iowa survey results regarding sexual misconduct on campus, the UI is conducting the survey for a second time.
FILE+-+UI+sexual+misconduct+response+coordinator+and+Title+IX+coordinator+Monique+DiCarlo+addresses+the+media+during+a+Speak+Out+Iowa+survey+key+findings+report+on+Wednesday%2C+Sept.+21%2C+2016.+The+findings+were+based+on+students+experiences+with+about+sexual+violence.+%28The+Daily+Iowan%2FJoseph+Cress%29
FILE – UI sexual misconduct response coordinator and Title IX coordinator Monique DiCarlo addresses the media during a Speak Out Iowa survey key findings report on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. The findings were based on students’ experiences with about sexual violence. (The Daily Iowan/Joseph Cress)

The University of Iowa is encouraging students to speak out about sexual misconduct by responding to its second campus safety survey examining the UI’s responses and resources related to the issue.

Released Tuesday, the anonymous Speak Out Iowa survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and has been made easier to access via a mobile device since the survey’s first iteration in 2015, according to the survey website.

The survey asks students about their familiarity with campus resources pertaining to sexual misconduct, perceptions of the UI’s response to reported incidents of sexual misconduct, and students’ own experiences with sexual misconduct since enrolling.

UI President Bruce Harreld wrote in an Oct. 20 email alerting students the survey would soon open and said the UI hopes to increase participation compared to its 2015 survey, which had a response rate of 9.3 percent.

RELATED: UI gets little response in misconduct survey

“Even if you or someone you know has not been personally impacted by this issue, your thoughts about how we can make the campus safer and more responsive to sexual misconduct are very important to us,” Harreld wrote.

The 2015 survey revealed 21 percent of female undergraduates reported being raped. Additionally, of the female undergraduates who responded, 11.4 percent reported being raped during their first semester at the UI.

Results were scheduled to come out earlier that year, but the release was delayed to allow the university time to formulate a response, which resulted in the antiviolence plan. The plan contains three main goals: prevention and education, intervention, and policy.

Participation in the survey will support the UI’s work to “ensure a safe, healthy, and nondiscriminatory environment for all students,” Harreld wrote.

“Our university is dedicated to fostering a caring community where every student has a right to an education free from sexual violence, sexual harassment, stalking, and dating violence,” he said.

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About the Contributor
Marissa Payne, Editor-in-Chief
Twitter: @marissajpayne
Marissa Payne is the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Iowan. A proud first-generation college student, she served as Managing Editor in 2018-19, shifting coverage to focus on more public-affairs, issue-based news stories. She started working at the DI her freshman year as a news reporter covering the UI administration and Iowa Board of Regents, and also as a page designer. Additionally, she has served as News Editor and Digital Editor. Throughout her DI career, she has reported on higher education and occasionally contributed to politics coverage. She has gained external experience through internships with the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Philadelphia Inquirer.