Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention i

Sexual Violence on Campus: 

Strategies for Prevention

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control 

Division of Violence Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Debra E. Houry, MD, MPH, Director

Division of Violence Prevention

James A. Mercy, PhD, Director

Suggested citation:

Dills J, Fowler D, Payne G. Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention. Atlanta, 

GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, 2016.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 1

Sexual Violence on Campus:

Strategies for Prevention

Developed by:

Jenny Dills, MPH

Dawn Fowler, PhD

Gayle Payne, PhD

November 2016

Division of Violence Prevention

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Atlanta, Georgia
2 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Acknowledgments 

We would like to thank the following individuals who contributed to the development of 

this document. We give special thanks to Beth Reimels, Pam Brown, and Katie Jones for their 

thoughtful brainstorming, review, and feedback on earlier drafts of this document. We also 

thank Alida Knuth for her layout and design skills. We also want to give thanks to our external 

reviewers for their feedback and support for this document. 

External Reviewers

Office of Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice: Campus Unit 

Darlene Johnson, Associate Director

Latinisha Lewis, Program Specialist

Kellie Greene, Program Specialist

Silvia Zenteno, Contractor, Management Analyst

California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) 

David S. Lee MPH, Director of Prevention Services

Ashleigh Klein, Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator

Carroll College 

Kelly Parsley, MA, MPH, Chair, Health Sciences Department
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 3

Introduction

Sexual violence is a serious problem in the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) is committed to preventing sexual violence on college and university campuses. 

Sexual violence includes a continuum of behaviors such as attempted or completed rape, sexual 

coercion, unwanted contact, and non-contact unwanted experiences like harassment. Preventing 

sexual violence of all types requires a shift in culture and climate. Primary prevention, preventing 

violence before it occurs, is difficult work and change takes time. Culture change doesn’t happen 

overnight, but culture change does happen.

Studies show that one in five women experience attempted or completed sexual assault during her 

college years. In recent college studies by Krebs and colleagues, sexual assault is defined to include 

“unwanted sexual contact that could include touching of a sexual nature, oral sex, sexual intercourse, 

anal sex, or sexual penetration with a finger or object” (Krebs, et al., 2009, p. 641). College women, 

as compared to their non-college peers and the general population, are disproportionately raped 

by men—often by someone they know (Krebs, et al., 2007; Krebs, et al., 2009). College men also 

experience sexual assault. In a 2007 study, it was noted that more than 6% of men experienced 

attempted or completed sexual assault in college (Krebs, et al., 2007). In a more recent study of 9 

colleges, Krebs et al. found the prevalence rate for completed sexual assault (as defined above) 

experienced by undergraduate women was 10.3%, and the prevalence rate for completed rape among 

undergraduate women was 4.1%. For men, the study showed 3.1% experienced completed sexual 

assault and 0.8% experienced rape (Krebs, et al., 2016). 

To address this problem, in 2014, the White House established the Task Force to Protect Students From 

Sexual Assault. The Task Force had a mandate to strengthen federal enforcement efforts and provide 

schools with additional tools to help prevent sexual violence on their campuses (White House, 2014). 

Representatives from several federal departments and agencies, including CDC, were assembled to 

develop and implement steps to address the following goals:

n Identify the scope of the problem on college campuses;

n Help prevent campus sexual assault;

n Help schools respond effectively when a student is assaulted; and

n Improve, and make more transparent, the federal government’s Title IX enforcement efforts.

The White House asked CDC to convene a panel of experts, in collaboration with the Justice 

Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, 

Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) Office, and the Department of Education, in 

an effort to identify emerging, promising practices to prevent sexual violence on U.S. college and 

university campuses. 

The Think Tank and Action Planning Meetings

The Think Tank was held on May 5-6, 2015. The goal of the Think Tank was to gather and share 

information to inform the development of sexual violence prevention resources for Rape Prevention 

and Education (RPE) program grantees as well as college and university campuses. CDC co-sponsored 

the meeting with the American Public Health Association (APHA) which brought public health 
4 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

knowledge and expertise in convening diverse partners. CDC and APHA invited over 30 subject 

matter experts to participate in a working meeting with key constituencies including sexual 

violence prevention practitioners, college and university administrators, college and university 

sexual violence prevention educators, students, researchers, law enforcement, CDC’s RPE 

grantees, federal partners, and sexual violence resource centers. Attendees participated in robust 

brainstorming sessions to determine what was currently being implemented to prevent sexual 

violence on college and university campuses, emerging best practices, future directions for program 

and policy, and an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for prevention. 

PreventConnect staff, a project of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, conducted a scan 

of current sexual violence prevention work taking place across the United States and provided an 

overview of their findings at the Think Tank. A Think Tank summary document was developed which 

framed critical areas for campus-based sexual violence prevention compiled during the Think Tank 

meeting. The Think Tank summary document was used during the Action Planning meeting to 

facilitate discussion and frame planning. 

The Action Planning Meeting was held on July 21-22, 2015. The purpose of the Action Planning 

meeting was to convene CDC’s RPE grantees and their state teams to provide an opportunity to 

use the Think Tank summary document to guide the development of multi-year actionable plans 

to prevent sexual violence on campuses. Fifteen Action Planning Teams attended the meeting and 

had the opportunity to review the summary and provide feedback based on their experiences with 

prevention work. Teams were made up of the RPE coordinator from the state health department, staff 

from the state sexual violence coalition, and representation from colleges or universities. CDC, APHA, 

OVW, and PreventConnect provided on-site coaching and technical assistance to guide the work of the 

state teams. Teams walked through a strategic planning process that included developing a mission 

statement and vision statement for their work, taking stock of current activities, and developing action 

plans that outlined next steps for their state’s prevention work. Following the meeting, state teams 

continued to collaborate to fine-tune and operationalize their action plans.

This technical assistance document, Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention combines the 

findings from the Think Tank and Action Planning Meetings with the best available evidence on sexual 

violence prevention and reflects CDC’s current thinking about how to prevent sexual violence on 

college and university campuses. This information is intended to be a starting place for sexual violence 

practitioners and their campus partners to begin planning for and implementing sexual violence 

prevention strategies in a college or university setting. 

In the Department of Education Title IX guidelines, prevention is outlined in the federal guidance 

colleges and universities must follow. It is important for colleges and universities to move beyond 

compliance in order to create culture change. Implementing a robust prevention effort is invaluable 

to fulfilling the spirit of complying with federal guidelines. Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for 

Prevention outlines a framework for campus sexual violence prevention efforts that includes five 

components: comprehensive prevention, audience, infrastructure, partnerships and sustainability, 

and evaluation. This document defines each component and includes considerations for how to 

incorporate best practices into prevention planning and implementation. Based on CDC’s STOP SV: A 

Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence, evidence-based strategies and approaches that may be 

implemented on a college or university campus are also included. Finally, examples are shared from 

states implementing sexual violence prevention efforts on college campuses.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 5

A Framework for Campus Sexual Violence 

Prevention Efforts

There are five components that embody the key takeaway messages informed by both the Think 

Tank and Action Planning meetings. These components represent a framework (Figure 1) for CDC’s 

approach to campus sexual violence prevention efforts. The integration of all five components 

offers an opportunity to implement prevention efforts to have greater impact on the reduction and 

prevention of sexual violence on campus. 

The components include, 

n Comprehensive Prevention: 

Strategies and approaches that 

complement and reinforce 

one another across the social 

ecological model, see below. 

n Infrastructure: The basic 

organizational systems and 

structures needed to effectively 

implement sexual violence 

prevention strategies on a college 

or university campus.

n Audience: Broadly refers to the 

targeted audience. This includes 

recipients and observers of the 

prevention messages, campaigns, 

or strategies.

n Partnerships and Sustainability:

Development of healthy working 

relationships with community 

stakeholders and partners can 

strengthen, coordinate, and align 

prevention efforts in order for them 

to be more sustainable over time.

n Evaluation: Essential public health 

practice that identifies what is 

working and what is not working 

with the programs, policies, or 

practices.

Figure 1. Five Component Framework
6 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Planning for a Comprehensive Approach to Campus Prevention 

CDC addresses sexual violence by focusing on primary prevention, or preventing violence before 

it occurs, with emphasis on reducing rates of sexual violence at the population level rather than 

solely focusing on the health or safety of the individual (CDC, 2014). In violence prevention, the 

term “comprehensive” has come to take on different meanings. For the purposes of this document, 

comprehensive refers to strategies and approaches that complement and reinforce one another 

across the social ecological model. 

CDC uses a four-level social ecological model (Figure 2) to promote understanding of the potential

effect of violence prevention strategies. The model demonstrates the connection between individual,

relationship, community, and societal factors. The overlapping rings in the model illustrate how factors

at one level influence factors at another level(Dahlberg, et al., 2002).

While violence prevention strategies can effectively take place at multiple levels of the model, CDC 

emphasizes the importance of incorporating societal, community and relationship level initiatives. 

These high-level changes, particularly at the college and university levels, may have the potential 

for a broader and more sustainable campus impact than a sole focus on individually-oriented 

approaches to violence prevention. It is important to consider a broad range of prevention strategies 

and ensure that risk and protective factors for sexual violence are being addressed at each level of the 

social ecological model. 

For a campus to have a comprehensive approach, strategies should be in place to prevent violence 

as well as respond to violence after it has occurred. Primary prevention of sexual violence should 

complement secondary prevention strategies that address the immediate needs of a survivor after an 

assault, and tertiary prevention strategies that address longer-term follow up and support. 

Figure 2. Social Ecological Model

Individual Relationship Community Societal
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 7

Opportunities for action for campus comprehensive prevention include: 

n Implement prevention efforts across the social ecological model: Activities

and strategies should take place at the individual level, the relationship level, the

community level, and at the societal level. Activities across the social ecology can

complement and reinforce each other. For example, a bystander intervention program

could be supported by a policy that mandates that incoming freshman receive training

on sexual assault prevention resources. However, it is best to not limit prevention to

one type of activity – a one hour online class or a one-time theater performance is not

sufficient. Stand-alone activities are ineffective and not supported by evidence. Below

is an example of a Comprehensive Campus-Based Primary Prevention Strategy for

Sexual Violence Prevention (Figure 3, CDC, 2014).

n Incorporate principles of prevention: Prevention strategies should strive to

incorporate the principles of effective prevention programs, which include being

comprehensive, making certain that the audience receives messages multiple times

to ensure a sufficient dose of and exposure to the intervention, using well-trained

staff, using varied teaching methods, being theory-driven, being developmentally

appropriate for the audience, being socio-culturally relevant to the audience, focusing

on positive relationships, and using outcome evaluation to determine whether a policy

or program worked (Nation, et al., 2003).

Figure 3. Example of a Comprehensive Campus-Based Prevention Strategy

Individual

• Build bystander

intervention and

healthy relationship

skills and establish

positive norms about

gender, sexuality,

and violence with

evidence-informed

interactive, multisession intervention

for incoming

students

Relationship

• Coach-implemented

intervention for male

athletes addressing

hyper-masculine

peer norms that

support or facilitate

sexual violence

• Dorm-based

intervention that

reinforces positive

norms and skills

relate to bystander

behavior and healthy

sexuality 

Community

• Engage campus

leadership to

promote culture of

safety and respect

• Social marketing

campaign to address

norms related to

sexual violence,

gender, sexuality

• Hot spot mapping to

identify and monitor

unsafe areas on

campus.

Societal

• Community

initiatives to

implement/enforce

alcohol policy

•Efforts to reduce

excessive alcohol use

or problem outlets

• Strengthen/support

enforcement,

response, and

reporting policies on

and off campus

Consistent messages across campus policies and programs
8 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

n Use data to make decisions: Public health uses data-informed decision making to plan,

implement, and evaluate prevention strategies. Data also help make the case for the need

for staff positions and policies. Using data and research findings about sexual violence

on campus, such as demographics, needs assessments, prevalence, reporting data, or

climate surveys, can be used to tailor activities to specific communities on campus to be

more impactful. Climate surveys, for example, can tell campuses about their students’ 

perceptions of safety, knowledge of services and resources, and attitudes about prevention.

Understanding the climate can help prevention staff tailor prevention efforts to specific

communities on campus.

n Employ a multi-sector approach: Public health recognizes that it takes multiple

perspectives and areas of expertise to address a complicated health and safety issue like

sexual violence. A campus community is already made up of multiple disciplines and sectors

which can be leveraged to create prevention-focused community response teams (Please

see List of Potential Prevention Partners in the appendices).

n Coordinate efforts across prevention and response: Prevention and response are equally

important partners in the goal to end sexual violence on college and university campuses.

Prevention staff should be abreast of relevant policies and practices when it comes to

responding to sexual violence when it occurs on campus. Prevention staff should be able to

make appropriate referrals on and off campus to meet the needs of survivors. Staff focused

on responding to violence when it occurs should be able to promote prevention messages,

as well. Cross-training with staff to understand the roles and responsibilities of other staff is

important. Finally, both prevention and response should always be trauma-informed. There

may be students and/or staff and faculty who are survivors in the audience and prevention

and response efforts need to be sensitive to that fact by not re-traumatizing survivors or

blaming the victim.

n Partner with community organizations and rape crisis centers: Collaborating

with community-based rape crisis centers can ensure coordination of sexual violence

prevention strategies in the community and on campus. In addition to rape crisis centers,

other community organizations with which to partner include local law enforcement,

organizations that serve the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ)

community, victim service centers, legal aid, social services, health centers, and domestic

violence shelters.

n Work to address gender-based violence: Campuses can work to counter messages and

attitudes that adhere to traditional gender norms. Prevention strategies can use a gender

equity perspective, where males and females are treated fairly and similarly, and work to

promote healthy sexuality and healthy intimate relationships on campuses. Additionally,

strategies to address gender violence should be intersectional (working to disrupt multiple

systems of oppression like sexism, racism, and homophobia) and include individuals and

survivors who identify across the spectrum of gender identities that includes, but is not

limited to male, female, transgender, and queer.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 9

 Building the Prevention Infrastructure to Prevent Campus Sexual Violence 

Infrastructure refers to the basic organizational systems and structures needed to effectively 

implement sexual violence prevention strategies on a college or university campus. This includes 

staffing, office space, and the existence of policies on a college campus that enable and enhance 

prevention work. 

Opportunities for action for campus infrastructure include:

n Use well trained staff: It is important to have staff who are trained in the area of violence 

prevention. Violence prevention competencies can include knowledge of the public health 

approach, the social ecological model, program evaluation, and current evidence on strategies 

that prevent sexual violence. 

n Use standardized training: In addition to well-trained staff, ensure that students, staff, 

and administrators are receiving appropriate training for their role in prevention, and that 

prevention messages across different audiences are consistent and reinforced over time. 

Provide prevention training to incoming students and new employees, but don’t limit it to a 

one-time lesson. Prevention education should be ongoing and delivered in multiple ways. 

n Hire dedicated prevention staff: Designate a full time staff person to focus on prevention. 

Ideally, this person would be part of a team that can respond to violence when it occurs, as 

well as work on shifting the culture of the campus to prevent violence from happening in the 

first place. 

n Institutionalize prevention: Institutionalized prevention means that prevention is an 

integrated priority into the campus’ organizational framework. Make prevention a part of 

everyone’s job on campus. From students to staff and administrators, there should be a 

common language around prevention. Are leadership, staff, and students talking about 

primary prevention? Are leadership and staff knowledgeable about primary prevention 

concepts and principles? Are prevention messages and policies a part of the fabric of the 

organization and communication?

n Create a team/workgroup/committee: Collaboration across campus is important for 

a number of reasons. Create a multi-disciplinary team focused on prevention to ensure 

consistent messages, involve more people in the solution, and make prevention visible 

across campus. The following people and communities can be included: students, Title IX 

Coordinator, Greek life, women’s center, victim advocates, LGBTQ and multi-cultural centers, 

campus safety, student conduct, student life, law enforcement, athletics, local rape crisis 

centers or community based organizations, etc. 

n Foster relationships with referral services: Inevitably, survivors will be in the audience as 

prevention programs are implemented which means that a strong relationship with support 

services, counselors, community rape crisis centers, and advocates is necessary. Part of the 

training for prevention staff should can be learning about available resources to provide for 

survivors if they come forward and strategies for self-care to keep themselves healthy. 
10 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

n Incorporate violence prevention with other prevention programs: Form

partnerships with wellness centers and programs that address shared risk factors for

violence. Drug and alcohol abuse prevention, pregnancy prevention, and sexually

transmitted infection prevention are just a few areas to explore. When partnering

around the association between drug and alcohol use and violence, make it clear that

alcohol and other drugs do not cause violence, but that the use of alcohol and drugs

can contribute to perpetration and victimization. Victim-blaming should never occur

and always be taken into consideration when developing prevention messages.

n Use a trauma-informed approach: Ensure that programming for prevention and

response is survivor-centered and trauma-informed. While prevention programming

doesn’t target survivors specifically, survivors will be in the audience. This means

prevention efforts should strive to support survivors’ needs, avoid victim blaming,

and not re-traumatize a survivor. For example, sufficient reporting structures and

well-trained staff within campus conduct boards/panels are needed to promote

and improve reporting and response processes. Survivors should be made to feel

supported and connected to resources on campus and in the community.

n Work across all the types of violence: On a college or university campus, multiple

forms of violence can occur. It is important to coordinate and collaborate to prevent

all forms of violence including sexual violence, intimate partner violence, bullying,

suicide, and stalking.

Appealing to Diverse Audiences to Reach Prevention Goals 

In prevention practice, the audience can broadly refer to the targeted audience, the recipients 

and observers, of the prevention messages, campaigns, or strategies. A campus community is 

not a homogenous group. It is made up of large and small communities, with various diverse 

members and stakeholders. The audience for campus sexual violence prevention ranges 

from the entire college and university stakeholder population (i.e., students, faculty, staff, 

administrators, parents), to specific sexual violence prevention strategy recipients (i.e., dorm 

residents participating in a bystander program).

Opportunities for action for campus audience include:

n Identify champions: Throughout different sectors and communities on campus,

identify champions who can make and keep prevention visible. Champions can be

leadership, staff, or students who elevate prevention in public conversation and ensure

resources are available to continue the work.

n Remember that the messenger matters: In addition to having consistent messages

throughout campus, be mindful of where the audience receives their messages. The

messenger matters when it comes to the message being heard. For some, it may

be important for the message to come from leadership. For others, it may be more

effectively heard from a trusted peer.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 11

n Tailor prevention efforts to specific communities: There is no one size fits all primary 

prevention programming. Each community on campus has different needs, and those needs 

should be met with programming that is culturally informed and specific to the community. 

Be intentional to include historically marginalized communities on campus. This includes 

immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ, disabled, and other marginalized students. This also 

includes international students and study-abroad students on campus. Include the target 

audience in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programing. 

n Plan for differences in types of institutions: Characteristics of 

schools should be taken into consideration when thinking through 

specific strategies and policies to implement. A state university may 

have different needs than a community college. Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with residential students may have 

different needs than a rural campus with students who commute. 

Similarly, considerations should be made for community campuses, 

non-traditional campuses, community colleges, military schools, 

technical colleges, four-year private, four-year public, and religiously 

affiliated schools. 

n Engage parents as an audience: Parents are an important audience 

for prevention messages. Messages are received and reinforced by 

parents. Students may look to their parents for guidance and support, 

and parents want their children to have healthy, safe, successful 

college experiences. Parents are sometimes reluctant to send a 

child to a school that has high rates of sexual violence, but parents 

and students can be educated that a higher rate of sexual violence 

on a campus may coincide with a responsive, trusting, and safe 

environment for reporting and seeking support services. Schools can 

help parents and students understand the positive norms around 

healthy and respectful communication, healthy relationships, and 

positive campus culture that is supportive and responsive. 

n Use proactive and social media: Meet the students where they are, 

and where they are is on social media. Although traditional media 

venues (e.g., radio and television for public service announcements) 

still have some utility, social media (social networking, picture sharing, 

geo-mapping, blogs, games, microblogs, etc.) is a particularly relevant 

way to reach 21st century students with the modes of information 

sharing and messaging to which they are most accustomed. Include 

students in prevention message development and social media. 

n Encourage active and visible bystanders: Engage the whole campus as proactive bystanders 

standing up and speaking out against violence. Teach potential bystanders that they have a 

role in changing the culture around tolerating violence and can learn to safely intervene in 

potentially harmful situations. By encouraging a culture where sexual violence is not tolerated, 

a safer campus is more likely to be achieved.

Each community on campus 

has different needs, and 

those needs should be met 

with programming that 

is culturally informed and 

specific to the community.
12 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Building Key Partnerships to Sustain Prevention Efforts 

Critically important to campus sexual violence prevention work is partnering with various stakeholders 

both on and off campus. These partnerships can strengthen, coordinate, and align prevention efforts. 

Prevention work cannot be accomplished in a vacuum. Sustained, collaborative prevention efforts and 

activities which are continued over time are necessary in order to achieve a reduction in violence. 

Opportunities for action for campus partnerships and for sustainability include:

n Develop MOUs with community partners: Outline the specific roles and responsibilities 

in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or Memorandum of Agreement. An MOU is an 

agreement between two or more parties for a course of action. The existence of the MOU 

helps to illustrate each entity’s shared belief in the importance of preventing sexual violence. 

Creation of the MOU allows for thoughtful discussion and helps define what each agency will 

do, together and as separate organizations, to mutually promote sexual violence prevention 

and response. The purpose of developing an MOU between the campus and local rape crisis 

center or local law enforcement, for example, is to clarify the roles of each organization as it 

relates to the implementation of primary prevention strategies and responding to violence. 

n Ensure leadership buy-in: Create opportunities to include campus leadership in strategies 

to build buy-in and support. Campus administrators and Board of Regents are particularly 

important when considering developing a full-time prevention position. Leadership doesn’t 

just mean administrators, but includes student leaders, staff and faculty leaders, and 

community members. 

n Create permanent staff positions: Create permanent staff positions that can be sustained 

without temporary grant funding to ensure that prevention is sustained and supported. It is 

even more beneficial to have more than one prevention position in a campus structure so that 

there are multiple voices for prevention and that staff is not siloed and isolated, although this 

may not be feasible on all campuses. Prevention efforts should be integrated and coordinated 

across all aspects of campus programming and practices.

n Engage students in planning and programming: Students have a meaningful role to play in 

the development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention programming. Create roles 

for them at every point. Students can be a great asset to creating messages that resonate and 

will be heard by different campus audiences. Additionally, students can act as peer educators 

and advisors. 

n Partner with health services: Additional partnerships that are important for sexual violence 

prevention and services on college and university campuses include their student health 

departments, wellness centers, and local emergency departments. These entities are often the 

frontline for sexual assault survivors.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 13

Evaluating Prevention Efforts 

Evaluation is defined as the systematic investigation of the merit, worth or significance of an object 

(Scriven, 1999). Evaluation is an essential practice in public health that lets practitioners know what is 

working and what is not working in their policies and programs. Evaluation findings should be used 

on an ongoing basis to inform improvements and course corrections of campus policies and practices. 

Opportunities for action for evaluation of campus efforts include:

n Rigorously evaluate promising prevention programs, practices, 

and policies: In order to understand if what is being implemented 

is working, it is important to evaluate the intervention. This means 

developing and implementing an evaluation plan alongside a work 

plan for prevention. An evaluation plan should include evaluation 

questions, indicators, data sources and data collection methods, and 

staff responsible. It should also include a process for communicating 

the results back to the community. 

n Focus outcomes on reductions in perpetration: When evaluating 

prevention programming, outcomes should go beyond knowledge 

acquisition, skill building, and attitude change to include outcomes 

that focus on behavior change and a reduction in perpetration, 

ideally, and also victimization. 

n Create capacity for evaluation: Building capacity for evaluation 

can occur at multiple levels. Prevention staff can work with campus 

faculty to develop evaluation tools and techniques to ensure that 

evaluation is occurring along the way. Students and staff can become 

proficient in program evaluation in order to monitor and evaluate 

what is being implemented. Student interns could serve as shortterm or project-focused evaluators.

n Value participatory research: Include the intended audience in the 

research planning and evaluation of prevention programming. The 

goal is to develop the prevention process out of a convergence of 

perspectives which will lead to the information generated reflecting 

multiple viewpoints.

n Require logic models and theories of change: Sound theories of change and logic models 

are key to prevention planning. Mapping out what will change, by when, and how, is a critical 

way to know if you are achieving expected results. Logic models and theories of change 

should be in alignment with each other and support the evaluation questions in an evaluation 

plan. 

n Build connections between research and practice: A college campus is the perfect place 

to bridge research and practice because both staff and faculty are invested in the success of 

students, and partnerships can be formed to rigorously evaluate prevention programming.

A college campus is the 

perfect place to bridge 

research and practice 

because both staff and 

faculty are invested in 

the success of students.
14 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Evidence-based Strategies to Prevent 

Sexual Violence on College and University Campuses

The evidence for sexual violence prevention is still emerging, but the problem is too urgent to wait 

until the field has perfect solutions. CDC’s STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence

outlines strategies and approaches for preventing sexual violence in communities (Basile, et al., 2016). 

A technical package is a collection of strategies that represent the current best available evidence 

to prevent or reduce public health problems like violence. They can help improve the health and 

well-being of communities by outlining activities that public health and other stakeholders can 

implement to see reductions in violence or violence-related risk factors in their communities. The STOP 

SV technical package includes primary prevention strategies as well as approaches for responding to 

sexual violence after it occurs (Figure 4). 

Figure 4. Stop SV Technical Package Overview

Strategy Approach

S Promote Social Norms that 

Protect Against Violence

• Bystander approaches

• Mobilizing men and boys as allies

T Teach Skills to Prevent 

Sexual Violence

• Social-emotional learning

• Teaching healthy, safe dating and intimate

relationship skills to adolescents

• Promoting healthy sexuality

• Empowerment-based training

O Provide Opportunities to Empower 

and Support Girls and Women

• Strengthening economic supports for women

and families

• Strengthening leadership and opportunities for girls

P Create Protective Environments

• Improving safety and monitoring in schools

• Establishing and consistently applying

workplace policies

• Addressing community-level risks through

environmental approaches

SV Support Victims/Survivors 

to Lessen Harms

• Victim-centered services

• Treatment for victims of SV

• Treatment for at-risk children and families

to prevent problem behavior including sex

offending
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 15

On a college or university campus, it is important to implement strategies and approaches that have 

evidence of effectiveness or have shown impact on risk and protective factors for sexual violence. In 

the technical package, there are strategies that could be applied in a campus setting. The approaches 

listed in the technical package may not have efficacy evidence in a campus context, but many 

approaches can be tailored for the setting and still be promising for sexual violence outcomes. What 

follows are examples of some of the strategies in the STOP SV Technical Package currently being 

implemented on college and university campuses. 

Promote Social Norms that Protect Against Violence

n Bystander training is an evidence-based approach to preventing

sexual assault on college campuses. These programs are useful

because they engage both men and women as potential witnesses to

behaviors that can increase risks for violence and train them to safely

intervene or speak out against social norms that support violence.

Providing bystander skills training for students, faculty, staff, and

administrators is an important part of any comprehensive prevention

plan. Campuses could also implement media campaigns that model

appropriate student behavior and conduct, like bystander skills and

consent.

n Mobilizing men and boys is an approach that could be tailored to

fit a campus setting. Prevention efforts can engage male coaches,

sports teams, and fraternity men to learn positive, healthy norms

about masculinity to prevent perpetration and learn how to support

survivors in their community.

Teach Skills to Prevent Sexual Violence

n Campuses are teaching students about healthy sexuality practices

and providing definitions of consent. One way that campuses are

doing so is by implementing affirmative consent policies. Affirmative

consent means that consent to agreed-upon sexual activity is freely

given by all parties involved by words or actions. An affirmative

consent policy outlines the definition of consent and makes it known

to students, staff, and faculty.

Provide Opportunities to Empower and Support Girls and Women 

n Leadership programs for women on campus that build confidence and leadership skills can

mean better education outcomes while in school and better employment outcomes after

college. This may contribute to women being more engaged in their community and in politics.

Sorority women could implement programs to emphasize strong voices and leadership skills to

change gender and social norms in Greek Life that may contribute to sexual violence.

n Women’s Centers and Departments of Women’s and Gender Studies are places that promote

gender equity on campus, provide women with leadership opportunities in order to reach

their full potential, and a safe space to learn and research sexual violence prevention efforts.

The presence of women’s center programming and gender studies courses on campus

promote awareness of social constructs like social justice, gender, race, economic status, sexual

orientation, and women’s health.

The evidence for sexual 

violence prevention is 

still emerging, but the 

problem is too urgent to 

wait until the field has 

perfect solutions.
16 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Create Protective Environments

n Enact a policy that includes prevention messages in new and transfer student orientations 

and on campus tours is one opportunity to start the prevention conversation. Keep the 

conversation on campus going by including prevention messages in classroom trainings, 

social norms campaigns, and events throughout the school year. 

n Have strong student codes of conduct widely available in student handbooks. Student leaders, 

administrators, faculty, and staff should reinforce these codes of conduct by modeling the 

appropriate behavior. School leadership should consistently and fairly enforce the student 

code of conduct. 

n Sexual assault policies and reporting procedures should be easy to find and navigate on a 

college or university website. 

n Policies that reduce access to alcohol on campus and in surrounding communities may 

be useful for reducing rates of sexual assault. Although alcohol use does not cause sexual 

violence, excessive use can increase the risk for perpetration or victimization. For example, 

colleges can work with partners and advocates in the community to limit the number of 

alcohol outlets adjacent to campus or to increase enforcement of laws to reduce underage 

drinking and over-service. Or, campuses can enact dry campus policies as to not allow any 

alcohol to be consumed on a campus and therefore decrease binge drinking. Colleges may 

institute drug and/or alcohol amnesty for sexual violence victims or bystanders to decrease 

barriers for students to come forward and report sexual violence. 

Support Victims/Survivors to Lessen Harms

n Campus staff and faculty should be trained on trauma-informed response and campus policy 

and practices to compassionately and effectively handle disclosures when they occur. Faculty 

and staff should be prepared to provide a list of resources available to students and make 

appropriate referrals to counseling centers and advocacy centers, student wellness, and 

campus or community law enforcement. 

n Survivors of sexual violence who seek help or intervention from their college or university 

should encounter a system that provides coordinated, confidential support and addresses 

their needs in a non-judgmental environment. Students should be made to feel confident and 

safe in reporting policies and accessing available resources. 

n Perpetrators should be held accountable. This means making the student conduct process 

and consequences transparent to students. It also means ensuring that faculty, staff, students, 

and campus law enforcement are knowledgeable about sexual violence policies and the 

adjudication process. There is also the option to hold perpetrators accountable through the 

local criminal justice process, separate from campus procedures.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 17

Campus Efforts to Prevent Sexual Violence 

Before it Starts 

The following are a few examples of how the Action Planning state teams are moving from planning to 

action.

Minnesota Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Summit 

The Minnesota team that attended the Action Planning Meeting was comprised of representatives 

from the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Metropolitan 

State University, St. Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The team left 

the meeting with a clear goal for its action plan: to convene a statewide college campus sexual violence 

prevention summit. Held in St. Paul, Minnesota in June of 2016, the goals of the summit were to:

n Implement effective, comprehensive prevention programs

n Share learnings across campuses that call out resources and highlight successful programs

n Foster relationships among campus professionals who work to address sexual violence

Over 300 people attended the Summit, including campus administrators, Title IX coordinators, campus 

prevention and sexual assault advocates, campus security, and students. Over 55 Minnesota college 

campuses were in attendance. 

The North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence Model Campus Policy

The North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV) released Guidance for Creating 

College and University Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking, and Sexual Violence Prevention and 

Intervention Programs and Policies for Students in June of 2015. NCCADV developed and disseminated 

the comprehensive model campus policy guidance document and template to support college and 

university campuses in North Carolina in meeting and exceeding Federal, state, and local requirements 

for intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking prevention and response. The guidance 

lays the groundwork for comprehensive campus-based programs and strategies to prevent intimate 

partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking. NCCADV’s guidance supports its work with the North 

Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCCASA) and the North Carolina Campus Consortium. The 

Campus Consortium is an organizing body for colleges and universities across the state currently 

addressing or interested in addressing sexual violence and/or intimate partner violence prevention 

on their campuses. NCCADV partners with NCCASA and the RPE Program at the Department of Health 

and Human Services as part of the Consortium.
18 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Affirmative Consent Policy within the State University of New York (SUNY) System 

One of the goals defined by the New York team that attended the action planning meeting was to 

ensure SUNY campuses implement policies consistent with New York’s “Enough is Enough” law. The 

law was enacted in July 2015 and, among other things, requires all New York college campuses to 

mandate affirmative consent for sexual encounters, offer students amnesty for certain campus policy 

violations (e.g., alcohol abuse) when they report sexual assault acts, adopt a victims bill of rights, 

and provide sexual violence prevention training to incoming freshman, student leaders, athletes and 

sorority and fraternity members. The SUNY system’s definition of affirmative consent is, “...a knowing, 

voluntary, and mutual decision among all participants to engage in sexual activity. Consent can 

be given by words or actions, as long as those words or actions create clear permission regarding 

willingness to engage in the sexual activity. Silence or lack of resistance, in and of itself, does not 

demonstrate consent. The definition of consent does not vary based upon a participant’s sex, sexual 

orientation, gender identity, or gender expression” (The State University of New York, 2015). This policy 

applies to the 64 SUNY institutions and approximately 460,000 students. 

Conclusion

Sexual violence is a significant public health issue that impacts many 

people, with college and university students being particularly at 

risk. Recent national attention to sexual violence on U.S. campuses 

presents an opportunity to act to address this problem. While the 

state of the evidence about what works to prevent sexual violence 

is still developing, this document is informed by the best thinking in 

the field. Prevention practitioners and college administrators can use 

this document with different types of campuses as broad guidance 

to help shape their prevention planning, program development, 

and related efforts toward sexual violence prevention on college or 

university campuses in their areas. Ultimately, applying the content of 

this document toward the foundational development of prevention 

plans will lead to the important development, collaborations, 

implementation, and evaluation of sexual violence prevention efforts for 

colleges and universities, which will be a much-needed contribution to 

the field.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 19

Appendices

List of Potential Prevention Partners

n CDC’s Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program, State Department of Health

n Local Rape Crisis Centers, Domestic Violence Shelters, and Victim Service Centers

n Local Emergency Medical Departments

n Community organizations

• LGBTQ Centers

• Legal Aid

• City or County Health Departments

• Social Services (food stamps, housing assistance, etc.) 

n College and University Partners:

• Office of the President

• Sexual Assault Prevention Programs and Services

• Title IX Coordinators

• Campus/University Administrators

• Board of Regents

• Student Health Department/Office

• Campus Police and Advocacy Centers

• Women’s Centers

• Athletic Programs

• Sororities/Fraternities

• Alumni Associations
20 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Sample Action Plan

Goal 1:

Action Step:

(What will be done 

to bring about the 

change?)

Person(s) 

Responsible:

(By whom?)

Date 

Completed:

(By when?)

Resources 

Required:

(At what cost?)

Communication/

Collaborators:

(Who should know about this?)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 21

Resources

n The National Sexual Violence Resource Center

 www.nsvrc.org

n PreventConnect

 www.preventconnect.org

n PreventConnect’s Sexual Assault Prevention on U.S. College Campuses: A National Scan 

www.preventconnect.org/2016/05/sexual-assault-prevention-on-u-s-collegecampuses-a-national-scan/

n Not Alone

 www.notalone.gov

n CDC’s Report to the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault 

www.notalone.gov/assets/preventing-sexual-violence-on-college-campuses-lessons-fromresearch-and-practice.pdf

n It’s On Us

 www.itsonus.org 

n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Violence Prevention

 www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/index.html

n Rape Prevention and Education Program

 www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/RPE/index.html
22 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

Think Tank Participants

Vicki Banyard, University of New Hampshire

Mark Bergeron-Naper, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Andrea Bright, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services 

Kurt Bumby, Center for Sex Offender Management

Nancy Cantalupo, National Association of Student Affairs Professionals and Administrators

Christina Colon, United Tribes Technical College

Jenny Dills, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Andrea Hamor Edmondson, Oklahoma State Department of Health 

Kimberly Ferguson, Spelman College 

Mighty Fine, American Public Health Association 

Dawnovise N. Fowler, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Shari Franchsman, Bergen Community College 

Donna Greco, National Sexual Violence Resource Center 

Alan Heisterkamp, University of Northern Iowa

Sandra Henriquez, California Coalition Against Sexual Assault 

Ashley Higgins, U.S. Department of Education 

Neil Irvin, Men Can Stop Rape

Darlene Johnson, U.S. Department of Justice

Mary Koss, University of Arizona 

David Lee, California Coalition Against Sexual Assault 

Peter McDonough, American Council on Education

Kat Monusky, Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs 

Jim Moore, U.S. Department of Education 

Kelly Parsley, Carroll College 

Jen Przewoznik, North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault 

Kim Vansell Richmond, National Center for Campus Public Safety

Holly Rider-Milkovich, University of Michigan

Hannah Serwe, University of Wisconsin

Lauren Thompson Starks, U.S. Department of Education 

Joan Tabachnik, U.S. Department of Justice 

Jennifer Warwick, Pacific Lutheran University
Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention 23

Action Planning Meeting Participants

Iowa Ohio 

Binne LeHew Rick Amweg 

Michael Fleming Matthew Boaz 

Kelly Meek Katie Hanna 

Alysa Mozak Alexander Leslie 

Tess Cody Debra Seltzer 

Maryland Oregon 

Emily Caputo Megan Foster 

Fatima Burns Elizabeth Kennedy 

Marian Firke Patrick Lemmon 

Tiwanica Moore Carlie Rohner 

Kimberly Peabody Rachel Smith 

Minnesota Wyoming 

Traci Thomas Card Shelly Barth 

Yvonne Cournoyer Cynthia Garhart 

Roberta Gibbons Kerry Olmsted 

Amy Kenzie Jody Sanborn 

Lee LaDue Megan Selheim

Montana Kansas 

Drew Colling Juliana Carlson 

Kathleen Grimes Tammara Durham 

Kelly Parsley Sarah Hachmeister 

Alanna Sherstad Laurie Hart 

Jessica Weltman Dustin Struble 

New York Massachusetts 

Lisa Evaneski Mark Bergeron-Naper 

Ann-Margret Foley Duane DeFour 

Dara Raboy-Picciano Becky Lockwood 

Andrea Stagg Stephanie Trilling 

Joanne Zannoni Debra Robbin 

Missouri 

Andrea Bright 

Corey Bowman 

Laura Hacquard 

Matthew Huffman 

Joan Masters 

New Jersey 

Monique Howard 

Laura Luciano 

Jacqueline Sanchez-Perez 

Jennifer Stonerod 

Patricia Teffenhart 

North Carolina 

Chimi Boyd Keyes 

Monika Johnson Hostler 

Jen Przewoznik 

Kelli Raker 

Glorina Stallworth 

Oklahoma 

Andrea Hamor Edmondson 

Tiffani Henry 

Ann Lowrance 

Kathy Moxley 

Michelle Stansel 

Texas 

Crystal Garcia-Ward 

Peggy Helton 

Karla Payne 

Bradley Petty 

Ted Rutherford
24 Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

References

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Package to Prevent Sexual Violence. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Preventing sexual violence on college campuses: 

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Nation, M., Crusto, C., Wandersman, A., Kumpfer, K. L., Seybolt, D., Morrissey-Kane, E., & Davino, K. 

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Scriven, Michael (1999). The Nature of Evaluation Part I: Relation to Psychology. Practical Assessment, 

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White House (2014). Not Alone: The First Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students 

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docs/report_0.pdf

For more information

To learn more about sexual violence prevention, call 

1-800-CDC-INFO or visit CDC’s violence prevention 

pages at www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention.

AK2016

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control 

Division of Violence Prevention