A Keene State survey aimed at fighting sexual assault and relationship violence on campus has been recently sent out to students by the Title IX Office.
The survey had been given out to students in 2015 and 2018. However, in 2020, the New Hampshire legislation began requiring all colleges and universities in N.H. to send the survey biannually to students. The law, RSA 188-H, contributed to the reason the Title IX office pushed this survey out.
According to Keene State Title IX Coordinator Jeff Maher, the reason the survey was also sent to acknowledge the issues of sexual misconduct and interpersonal violence that the college attends to.
“Recognizing that these types of events are historically underreported, these surveys allow us to get a better sense of what our students are experiencing,” Maher said.
The survey opened to students on Jan. 29 and will have a three-week window of availability, concluding on Feb. 16. While this means no data has been collected as the survey window is still open. Previous surveys’ and their information are still open to the public. This data can be found on the Keene States website by searching either Institutional Research or (IR).
Because of the longevity of this survey, the office has marketed the survey and will continue to do so until its conclusion. This includes postcards put in students on campus mailboxes, posters and larger signs put on walls across campus, and even tabling in the Student Center. Three emails will be sent to students over the survey period as reminders, and only those who have not completed it will continue to receive them.
Once this survey concludes, the data will be sent to an analyst and shared back to the facility. “What are students experiencing, student satisfaction with various offices on campus, student sense of safety on campus, this is all important information,” explains Maher.
The Title IX office offers several incentives to completing the survey, but Maher said the survey is entirely voluntary as sexual harassment can be an extremely sensitive topic.
McKenzie French can be contacted at
mfrench@kscequinox.com
