Students’ Awareness, Knowledge, and Perceptions of Mandatory Reporting of Sexual Victimization on College Campuses

STUDENTS AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERPCETIONS OF MANDATORY REPORTING OF SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES Dhara Minesh Amin, PhD Candidate A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019 Dr. Christina Mancini, Chair, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, Criminal Justice Program The purpose of this study is to identify students’ awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of the mandatory reporting policy related to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). Mandatory reporting requirements are being implemented in higher educational institutions; however, existing literature does not examine students’ perceptions or their knowledge of the specific requirements that apply exclusively to them. This exploratory study examines the perceptions of college students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. Drawing on survey data (N = 501) from a large, public research university, the study explores two outcome variables: students’ awareness of the mandatory reporting policy and students’ knowledge of the university’s Title IX and mandatory reporting policy. It is hypothesized that variation across such views may be predicted by several factors, such as rape myth acceptance, knowing a victim of sexual misconduct, knowing an individual falsely accused of sexual misconduct, and demographic characteristics. Most of the students were aware of the university’s mandatory reporting policy, but they were not especially knowledgeable about the specifics. An overwhelming number of students support the use of mandatory reporting on college campuses for sexual misconduct, but fewer individuals stated they are more likely to disclose personal sexual victimization with an enacted mandatory reporting policy. Being STUDENTS’ AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERCEPTIONS 2 knowledgeable about the university’s mandatory reporting policy was positively associated with higher general support of mandatory reporting. In addition, being aware of the enacted mandatory reporting policy also emerged as statistically significant and positively associated with perceptions of disadvantages and advantages of the mandatory reporting policy. Other findings and implications are discussed. STUDENTS’ AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERCEPTIONS 3 Chapter I: Introduction Concern about sexual victimization and sexual misconduct on college campuses has led to new discussions about student safety in post-secondary institutions. With sensationalized cases, such as the sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky and the alleged cover up of the allegations by Joe Paterno at Pennsylvania State University, the gang rape of a female athlete at Baylor University, or the Rolling Stone article about an alleged sexual assault committed by a fraternity at the University of Virginia, the media has brought more attention to this subject (Brubaker & Mancini, 2017; Mancini, Pickett, Call, Diehl McDougle, Brubaker, & Brownstein, 2017; Mancini, Pickett, Call, & Roche, 2016; Rosenthal, 2017). Views surrounding this topic differ amongst the public. Some argue that educational institutions and their administrators purposefully cover up sexual misconduct and, therefore, need a mechanism to address the issues. Others strongly believe that all allegations must be investigated thoroughly but must be held to a higher burden of proof and protect individual due process. Consequently, policies surrounding how to address and prevent sexual victimization on college campuses have evolved. For example, under the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Education released a Dear Colleague Letter to provide guidance on how universities should respond to sexual misconduct; however, under the current administration, the guidance was rescinded, and the U.S Department of Education has proposed changes, which are currently open for public comment. While these policies have been examined to some degree, it has only been in a broad and limited manner. Existing research has reviewed rates of victimization (Cantalupo & Kidder, 2018; Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000; Sinozich & Langton, 2014; The White House, 2014); however, very little research has examined the perceptions of those directly impacted by these policies – college students and mandatory reporters. The reality is that the policies and multiple STUDENTS’ AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERCEPTIONS 4 related guidance and recommendations (e.g., Dear Colleague Letters) have changed, but without a true understanding of how college students view or feel about the old policy, the rescission, or the proposed revisions. However, some continue to argue that little research supports the notion that increased federal regulations addressing sexual victimization on college campuses meet their intended goals (Holland, Cortina, & Freyd, 2018; Wies, 2015). The examination of students’ perceptions is important for many reasons. First, the federal government has placed requirements on universities without providing any additional funding to meet the federal guidelines. Failure to comply with the requirements can result in a loss of federal monies to support the university and the students; therefore, an examination of students’ perceptions of the requirements will allow lawmakers to understand if their regulations are effective and the student population supports these measures. If these requirements are found to be ineffective, universities that are not compliant may be losing monies for their students unnecessarily, while ineffective compliant schools continue to receive funds. Second, universities have created Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) offices, with additional staff, resources, and responsibilities, which can be costly initiatives. However, because the students’ perceptions are unknown, universities cannot make an informed decision when considering how to improve effectiveness and efficiency. Lastly, numerous states have implemented further requirements (e.g., mandatory reporting laws) for their staff. Without a true understanding on how students view such policies and practices, universities may be burdening their faculty and staff with requirements, which may not lead to the intended goals (Holland, Cortina, & Freyd, 2018). Given this oversight, the current research project aims to examine how college students perceive mandatory reporting policies related to sexual victimization, their understanding of such STUDENTS’ AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERCEPTIONS 5 policies at their specific university, and their general awareness and knowledge about the university’s policies and practices. Furthermore, this project attempts to understand students’ perceptions about the rescission of the Obama-era guidelines. This study is important because it can provide the university with an understanding of how the students feel and think about the application of mandatory reporting on a college campus. The study may also assist with making informed decisions, especially when federal guidance is fluid. Furthermore, this study can provide policyand decision-makers with vital background information for use when considering whether to keep the current implementation processes or explore changes to the universities’ requirements and expectations. The goals of this exploratory study are achieved by examining three main research questions: (i) Do students support mandatory reporting; (ii) What are the expected outcomes of mandatory reporting laws; and (iii) How do mandatory reporting requirements impact students’ likelihood to report victimization? The researcher collected a non-probabilistic, convenience sample at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The survey was a traditional pen-andpaper survey. Once the data collection was completed, the researcher conducted reliability scales, descriptive statistics, and ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions in SPSS. The findings of this study have policy and practical implications, such as informing annual reviews, suggesting procedural changes, and revising training needs. STUDENTS’ AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PERCEPTIONS 6 Chapter II: Literature Review This chapter will provide a detailed overview of sexual victimization on college campuses. First, I will examine the rates and prevalence of sexual misconduct in the community and on college campuses, particularly against female college students. Existing research finds that although there are low rates of sexual victimization reports, a high rate of sexual misconduct exists (Sinozich & Langton, 2014; The White House, 2014). Then I will review the impact sexual violence can have on a victim, various policies that address sexual misconduct, and legislation related to college campuses, such as Title IX, the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE Act). The chapter will summarize the burden of proof debate related to Tile IX investigations and review the history of mandatory reporting, its expansion to different types of victimization, and its application to sexual violence on college campuses. The researcher discusses the benefits and concerns of mandatory reporting and various groups’ perceptions of mandatory reporting. This study was executed at VCU in Richmond, Virginia; therefore, the researcher will examine their university’s policy and summarize the gap in existing literature. Finally, the researcher discusses the study’s purpose and research questions. Sexual Misconduct Prevalence, Policies, Reporting, and Legislation Specific policies surrounding sexual misconduct on college campuses were created to protect college victims of rape and sexual misconduct and to hold educational institutions accountable for addressing and preventing sexual assault (Mancini et al., 2016). To recognize