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33 Alaska Just. F. 1 (2016)

handle is hein.journals/aljufor33 and id is 1 raw text is: Spring 2016 UNIVERSITY of ALASiKA ANCHORAGE Vol. 33, No. 1 University of Alaska Students' Disclosures of Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Assault Victimizations Brad A. Myrstol and Lindsey Blumenstein In a recent Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) Fact Sheet issue (available at www.uaa.alaska.edu/aj sac) we published initial findings from the University of Alaska Campus Climate Survey, a re- search study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. The University of Alaska Campus Climate Sur- vey was designed to establish the prevalence of sexual misconduct and sexual assault committed against University of Alaska (UA) students both on and off campus. The estimates of sexual misconduct and sexual assault published in the Fact Sheet were based on the self-reported experiences of 1,982 randomly selected undergradu- ate and graduate students enrolled at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), and the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) during spring semester 2016. Results showed that approximately 1 out of every 9 UA students experienced sexual misconduct, sexual assault, or both between January 2015 and spring semester 2016, either on or off campus. Using data from the University ofAlaska Campus Climate Survey, this article seeks to answer three basic questions: (1) How often did UA students who experienced sexual violence between January 2015 and spring semester 2016, either on or off campus, disclose their victimization to others? (2) For those UA students who did experience sexual violence victimization and who chose to disclose their victimization to others, with whom did they share their experiences? (3) Did the likelihood of sexual violence dis- closure vary significantly according to UA students' demographic characteristics (age, race/ethnicity, sex/gender)? This article uses the data collected for the University of Alaska Campus Climate Survey to explore how often UA students who experienced sexual violence, either on or off campus, disclosed their victimiza- tions to others. (Sexual violence is defined as sexual misconduct, sexual assault, or both.) Survey Definitions of Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Assault Sexual misconduct refers to unwanted, uninvited, or coerced touching of a sexual nature, or unwanted or uninvited sexual commentary. Survey respondents were asked, Since January 2015, has someone attempted or succeeded in having unwanted, uninvited, or coerced touching of a sexual nature or unwanted/uninvited sexual com- mentary with you under any circumstances (on or off campus), or do you suspect some- one did? Every survey respondent was provided the following examples of sexual miscon- duct: kissing without permission; forced kissing; touching of body or private parts in a sexual way without permission; grabbing, fondling, or rubbing up against a person in a sexual way (even if over clothing); taking a sexual experience further than wanted even if consent was given for minor sexual contact such as kissing or touching, without it leading to intercourse; and, lewd or blatant sexual comments that make a person feel uncomfortable, uneasy, or unsafe. Sexual assault refers to nonconsensual or unwanted sexual contact with penetration, even if consent was given for minor sexual contact such as kissing or touching. Survey respondents were asked, Since January 2015, has someone attempted or succeeded in having nonconsensual or unwanted sexual contact with you under any circumstances (on or off campus), or do you suspect some- one did? Every survey respondent was provided the following examples of sexual assault: sexual penetration with a finger or object (someone putting their finger or an object in the vagina or anus); oral sex (someone's mouth or tongue making contact with genitals); anal sex (someone's penis being put into an anus); and sexual intercourse (someone's penis being put into a vagina). Disclosure and Reporting of Sexual Violence Victimization This article makes use of two terms to discuss sexual violence victims' efforts to make their victimizations known to others: disclose and report. These two terms are distinguished by the recipient of the infor- mation. Disclosure includes all the victims' discussions with others, but reports only includes the victims' discussions with offi- cials such as university or law enforcement representatives. Nondisclosure of Sexual Violence Victimization Within the realm of criminal offenses, sexual violence is among the most un- derreported. Table 1 (page 11) presents findings from the 2014 National Crime Victimization Survey (an annual nationwide survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics), which asks crime victims if they reported their victimization to police. Overall, less than half (46.0%) of all violent crime incidents were reported to police. Among the violent crimes examined, sexual assault/rape victimizations were the least likely to be Please see UA students, page 11

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