Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey Results
Nipissing University, along with all Ontario universities, recently received three reports from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, which outline the results of the 2018 Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey. The Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey was a province-wide initiative carried out by CCI Research on behalf of the Ministry to gather information about how students perceive, understand and respond to sexual violence while on and off campus.
We would like to thank all students who participated in this important survey. The information collected will help us identify areas of strength related to our efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence, and illustrates important areas for improvement.
According to the survey results, Nipissing scored strongly in a number of areas:
- Nipissing students are confident that our institutional response to reported instances of sexual violence would be supportive in nature
- Nipissing students feel informed about our institutional supports and how to report instances of sexual violence.
- Nipissing students are being exposed to active dialogue and have an opportunity to discuss issues related to sexual violence during their studies as well as in other university sanctioned events, activities and outreach campaigns
- Respondents validate that a very strong culture of consent exists at Nipissing
- Nipissing students have very strong bystander beliefs and values and would very likely intervene should they find themselves in a circumstance of being a bystander
- For those students who have disclosed an incident with university personnel, students found our services very helpful.
“At Nipissing, we place a high value on the student experience which means investing heavily in student services so that students feel supported and comfortable coming forward to access support,” said Dr. Casey Phillips, Assistant Vice-President, Students. “The survey results highlight the strength of our supports on campus, but we also know that any incidence of sexual violence is too many and we are committed to continuously reviewing and enhancing our supports in order to provide a safe and supportive environment for students to live, learn and work.”
Although Maclean’s ranks Nipissing number one in sexual assault prevention among Canadian Universities, we know that more needs to be done. In response to the survey results, the Sexual Violence Task Force made up of a diverse group of faculty, students and staff, is currently reviewing the Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey results and will be coming forward with a final report and set of recommendations by the end of the semester.
The University continues to offer preventative programming led by a dedicated Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator including campaigns related to informed consent and bystander training. This week (February 24 – 28) there are a number of workshops and events taking place as part of Consent Week. More information about Consent Week activities can be found here.
We encourage all students to download our interactive mobile app, “Nipissing Safe”, from the Apple Store or Google Play which includes embedded information on the institutional Student Sexual Violence Policy and response options, enables students to connect with campus security, report tips to police, and access virtual walk/friend walk services as well as a variety support resources.
Knowing that sexual violence is an important societal issue, Nipissing University continues to work collaboratively with community partners such as Amelia Rising Sexual Violence Support Centre and the North Bay Police to better understand and respond to experiences of sexual violence taking place in our community.
Once again thank you to all students who took the time to share their experiences through the survey to better inform our policies and initiatives related to the prevention of sexual violence.
For a more thorough summary of the survey results, and links for the full reports from the Ministry containing all of the survey responses, click here.