A passing grade was given to Nipissing after the university was marked highly on a student based survey on sexual violence.
The survey, called 2018 Student Voices on Sexual Violence, was carried out by CCI research on behalf of the Ministry of Colleges. Nipissing says the information gathered is helpful in determining how students perceive, understand and respond to sexual violence on and off-campus.
Nipissing says that even though Maclean’s recently ranked the university as number one in sexual assault prevention among Canadian Universities, this survey showcased areas of strength, along with areas they can improve upon.
According to the survey results, Nipissing scored strongly in a number of areas:
- Nipissing students are confident that institutional response to reported instances of sexual violence would be supportive in nature
- Nipissing students feel informed about institutional supports and how to report instances of sexual violence.
- Nipissing students are being exposed to active dialogue and have an opportunity to discuss issues related to sexual violence during their studies as well as in other university-sanctioned events, activities and outreach campaigns
- Respondents validate that a very strong culture of consent exists at Nipissing
- Nipissing students have very strong bystander beliefs and values and would very likely intervene should they find themselves in a circumstance of being a bystander
- For those students who have disclosed an incident with university personnel, students found services offered very helpful
“At Nipissing, we place a high value on the student experience which means investing heavily in student services so that students feel supported and comfortable coming forward to access support,” said Dr. Casey Phillips, assistant vice-president, students. “The survey results highlight the strength of our supports on campus, but we also know that any incidence of sexual violence is too many and we are committed to continuously reviewing and enhancing our supports in order to provide a safe and supportive environment for students to live, learn and work. We would like to thank all students who participated in this important survey to better inform our policies and initiatives related to the prevention of sexual violence.”
