In late January of 2026, the Title IX office at Keene State sent out a survey to the student body regarding the prevalence of sexual violence on campus and how to create a safer environment at Keene State. The survey consisted of questions related to sexual violence, relationship violence, stalking and sexual harassment.
This survey falls under a bill known as RSA 188H, which mandates that higher institutions across the state of New Hampshire must conduct this survey every two years. After the survey has been completed, every university must submit its results to the New Hampshire Department of Education, where they will be open to the public. The results are also available on Keene State’s Title IX office website.
Student responses to the survey led to changes on campus in areas that had an increased number of concerning answers. For example, after the 2022 survey was concluded, the results found that many students felt uncomfortable walking along the bike path behind campus. Provisions were taken by adding light to the area and cameras to ensure the safety of students utilizing the path.
Jeff Maher is the sexual misconduct and bias coordinator/program manager for Keene State’s Title IX office. Regarding the survey boosting the safety of students, he said in his interview, “This survey is a vehicle for us to better understand the prevalence of these types of incidents in our community.” He says that with each year the survey is administered, the office will be able to “learn more about what our students are experiencing” in order to better protect the environment within Keene State.
Maher and his office also used prize incentives in order to incentivize more students to take part in the survey. These prizes included a Bose speaker, a $100 Target gift card, a $100 Amazon gift card, a $50 The Works gift card and a $50 Guerilla Grill gift card. Students only had to put their names towards the prizes and their answers to the actual survey were kept confidential. Maher touched on how incentives are proven to increase response rate, and also said “that we solicit student feedback from what they would like to see for incentives.”
In the first few weeks since the survey was sent out, Maher said the Title IX office is happy with the number of responses they have received thus far. Maher said the information students provide is “really helpful for the college and for the state,” and that even students who have not experienced sexual violence within their lifetime are strongly encouraged to participate.
As for student feedback regarding the survey, it was reported that there was a similar number of students who had taken the survey and who had not. For many of the students who did not participate, a main reason cited was a lack of knowledge of the survey itself. A sophomore, Yvan Tejada-Gialousis, said that he would have participated in the survey sooner if he had heard more information about it, as he believes the survey is an “easier way to improve safety on campus without anyone having to have uncomfortable conversations.”
Another sophomore, Abby Gomez-Yepes, said that she “appreciated that the Title IX office was trying to make improvements on campus.” She said she felt that the survey is beneficial for all students at Keene State, and that the usage of prizes “definitely encourages more people to participate.”
The survey is available to students via a link in their school Outlook mailboxes. It will be ongoing for the next couple of weeks, and the results are set to be analyzed in June or July of 2026, according to Maher. The Title IX office is also available to help with any questions regarding the survey or any possible issues surrounding it.
Emma Pearl can be contacted at
epearl@kscequinox.com
