Kansas State University

Sexual Assault Climate Survey and the Culture of Respect Collective

Submitted by Office of the Vice President for Student Life

It is no secret that sexual assault is an issue faced by many college students across the nation. According to data cited by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, or NASPA, one in four female undergraduates and nearly one in 14 male undergraduates experiences some form of sexual violence during their college career. What is also alarming is that many college students do not know where to turn in the event of sexual violence, nor do they fully understand the resources available to them. 

In fall 2021, a Sexual Violence Climate Survey task force worked with K-State's Center for Advocacy, Response and Education, as well as Michelle Toews and Kristin Anders from the applied human sciences department, to deploy a Sexual Assault and Violence Survey for both K-State students and faculty/staff. Since that time, the research team has been hard at work analyzing the data and updating university leadership on the initial findings, ultimately working toward the completion of the final survey results summary (PDF). These results demonstrate that K-State is no exception to the national trends — and that we need to do more to educate our university community and build our capacity to work toward the elimination of sexual violence from our campuses. 

Recognizing this need, K-State has joined 21 colleges and universities across North America as a member of the sixth cohort of NASPA's Culture of Respect Collective. K-State's participation in this initiative strengthens K-State's existing campus sexual violence prevention and response efforts, identifies gaps that may exist and develops strategies for addressing areas for improvement. The initiative focuses on six key action areas, or pillars, to help us ensure alignment with evidence-based best practices in sexual violence prevention and response. These action areas include survivor support, clear policies, multi-tiered education, public disclosure, schoolwide mobilization and ongoing self-assessment. 

We encourage you to learn more about K-State's work within these key action areas, including the K-State community members who are taking the lead on the individual goals identified within each action area. 

As this work continues, we must ensure our university community understands the support available to them should they or someone they know be affected by sexual assault and violence, as the 2021 survey findings have shown us that many students, faculty and staff need help identifying those resources. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the resources below, and watch for more information on social media in the coming months.

• K-State offices:
  • Center for Advocacy, Response and Education.
  • Counseling and Psychological Services.
  • K-State Police Department.
  • Lafene Health Center.
  • Morrison Family Center for Student Well-Being.
  • Office of Institutional Equity.
  • Office of Student Life.
• Additional support services:
  • Employee Assistance Program.
  • JED Campus Initiative.
  • My SSP.
• Reporting website:
  • Report It.

At K-State, we address challenges head-on and do our part to make the world a better place, and this begins with recognizing our own areas for improvement and growth. Through our participation in the Culture of Respect Collective, we will strengthen our sexual assault and violence prevention and response efforts and continue to build a university community that is safe, supportive and nurturing for all.