Campus to survey students, employees on sexual violence/prevention

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in an anonymous SUNY Campus Climate survey that asks about perceptions of campus culture and safety, including their experiences with sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking and relationship violence.

Fredonia maintains a deep commitment to addressing and preventing sexual and interpersonal violence on campus, and understanding the climate is an important step in the process, explains Interim Chief Diversity Officer Saundra Liggins.

Survey results will help the campus to better understand student experiences with sexual and interpersonal violence, as well as their awareness of policies, reporting options and support services available on- and off-campus, Dr. Liggins said.

“Hearing the experiences and perspectives from as many students as possible is critical in our effort,” Liggins said.

Dates at Fredonia for the online 2021 Campus Sexual Violence and Prevention Survey, which is being conducted individually on campuses across SUNY, are Feb. 15 through March 22 for students, and Feb. 18 through March 25 for faculty and staff.

All students 18 years of age and older who are enrolled in at least one class for credit will receive an email from survey@suny.edu containing the link to the survey. Students are encouraged to participate in the survey, regardless of whether or not they feel as though these issues impact them personally. A large response rate will increase the reliability of the results.

Liggins encourages students to take a few moments to learn about the survey and then participate. “Your voice matters, and the faculty, administration, and entire Fredonia community is listening,” Liggins said.

In addition to taking an active role in tackling this issue, participating students will also have a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift certificate. Upon completing the survey, students will be provided access to a separate questionnaire to submit their name for this randomized incentive drawing. Clicking submit on the climate survey severs the link irretrievably with the incentive survey, so when a name and email address are entered, it cannot be tracked to a student’s individual response to the survey.