University releases sexual conduct survey, student activists voice concerns

On April 13, the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) sent out an email to all students with a survey titled “Tufts Attitudes About Sexual Conduct Survey” (TASCS), which is intended to provide administrators with information that will allow them to combat sexual misconduct more effectively and gain a better understanding of what resources and support could be offered to help address the issue of on-campus sexual assault, according to OEO Director Jill Zellmer.

“Our hope is that we collect information about students’ perceptions, attitudes and opinions about social behavior related to sexual misconduct and sexual assault at Tufts while also conveying resources and support,” Zellmer said. “Our intention is to enhance our response and prevention efforts around sexual misconduct with what we hope to learn from the results of the survey. The more students complete the survey, the more information we will have to inform future efforts.”

According to Zellmer, this is the first sexual conduct climate survey that Tufts has conducted, and many other universities across the country are conducting similar surveys in light of new suggestions by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

She explained that TASCS was developed by survey experts from the Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation in cooperation with the Sexual Misconduct Prevention Task Force, which was created by University President Anthony Monaco in September 2013. The task force consists of both students and faculty. A 2014 progress report released by the task force recommended the implementation of such a survey as one of many tactics to institutionalize sexual misconduct awareness, education and support.

Each email includes a unique link that only permits students to take the survey once, but the results are anonymous, Zellmer noted.

“It’s important that students understand that … [their identities cannot] be traced through the survey link," she said. "The survey is intended to provide students with an opportunity to provide information anonymously. Students can take a break or skip questions at any time ... and the entire survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete.”

Many student activists involved in sexual assault prevention groups have taken issue with several aspects of the survey. Junior Bruce Bausk, a member of both Tufts Action for Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP) and Tufts Queer Students Association, explained that the survey had serious shortcomings that are important to address.

“It’s hard to feel positive about a survey that doesn’t fully recognize your gender in the first couple of questions,” Bausk said. “The gender question only allowed for the selection of one category, while my gender identity is more complex than just one of the selections. Being limited to only check off one box doesn’t fully capture the experience that I live."

Executive Board Member of ASAP and Consent Culture Network (CCN) Allyson Blackburn, who is also a member of the resources working group on the president’s Task Force on Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Education, echoed Bausk’s sentiments and noted additional deficiencies she saw in TASCS.

“The survey didn't allow non-cis people to accurately identify themselves, which has been a problem that students have noted in prior surveys and have advocated to change," Blackburn, a sophomore, said. "The survey also focused on one type of experience with sexual violence and one narrative about it … I wish more student activists on campus had the opportunity to read the survey to give constructive feedback, but few of us had that chance, and the feedback that was given wasn't taken as seriously as I would have liked.”

Bausk added that the questions are presented in a way that will likely color the results in a more positive light without necessarily providing the most accurate or representative picture.

"I have spoken to a number of people who haven’t necessarily been involved in sexual misconduct work on campus, and they have also said that they felt the wording of the questions biased results toward seeming that [the] campus climate is positive and that the prevention and education work is effective," Bausk said.

Bausk also stated that the survey skated over pertinent issues, such as whether or not students ask for or know how to ask for consent or whether they maintain victim-blaming and slut-shaming beliefs.

Bausk also felt bystander intervention was over-emphasized in the survey, and that Tufts should focus more on fostering a campus culture that emphasizes consent.

Sophomore Olivia Carle, co-chair of the Education and Prevention working group of the Sexual Misconduct Prevention Task Force and a signatory of CCN, noted that the survey fails to address a number of forms of assault.

“As a person who has experienced several forms of sexual violence, to not include those forms is offensive and invalidating of a ton of experiences on this campus,” Carle said. “I can't think of one school that is doing anti-sexual violence work really, really well, and most are doing it terribly, so if the assumption is going to be that we are alright if we are on par with other schools then I have a problem with that.”

Blackburn added that the university only released the survey after previously being found non-compliant with Title IX. Blackburn explained that as a result of being found non-compliant, Tufts was required to release the survey as part of a Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) in order to continue receiving federal funding.

At the same time, Blackburn said that the university’s manner of handling cases of sexual misconduct has improved over the past several years.

“I think the Tufts administration has made real tangible progress in the past two years that I have been here, notably in the hiring of [Sexual Misconduct Prevention Specialist] Alexandra Donovan and [Sexual Misconduct Resource Specialist] Nandi Bynoe and the dismissal of problematic administrators cited in the VRA," Blackburn said. "Tufts has undoubtedly improved in just the past four semesters that I have been here, and I commend the incredible student activists and supportive administrators that have allowed that to happen."

According to Zellmer, the window to complete the survey will close on May 8, and the results of the survey will be made available in the fall.