AAUW Newsrelease For Imme

In 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA, Public Law 103-322) created a new precedent in fighting violence against women and families. VAWA has advanced the prosecution of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence cases; improved access to victim services; and increased resources for law enforcement. VAWA programs provide shelter for 300,000 women and children each year, hot lines and other counseling services, and training programs for police and court officials in handling domestic violence cases. VAWA grant programs have provided communities with the tools to implement the principles of victim safety and offender accountability. Through enhanced collaboration between law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, victim services and community-based programs, VAWA has proven to be a cost-effective investment in our communities, saving over $14.8 billion in averted costs of victimization.

Go to AAUW.org and click on the Two Minute Activist or the Take Action Box. Letters are written and ready to mail. If you prefer you may use the talking points to construct your own letter.

Nearly Two-Thirds of College Students Say They Have Been Sexually Harassed, According to the Most Comprehensive National Research to Date

AAUW Announces “Harassment-Free Schools” Program at 11 Colleges in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas

A report released today by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation (AAUW Educational Foundation) suggests that sexual harassment pervades campus life. According to Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus, a majority of U.S. college students encounter some type of sexual harassment and about one-third say that they have been physically harassed while at college.

Both male and female students encounter sexual harassment, but female students who have been sexually harassed are more likely to say they feel self-conscious or embarrassed, angry, less sure of themselves or less confident, afraid or scared, confused or conflicted about who they are and disappointed in their college experience as a result of sexual harassment. This report analyzes findings from a nationally representative survey of undergraduate students and is the most comprehensive research to date on sexual harassment on college campuses.

“This groundbreaking new report is the first step in truly understanding what happens on college campuses and how to best create ‘harassment-free’ schools,” said Barbara O’Connor, AAUW Educational Foundation president. “Because our research shows that sexual harassment takes an especially heavy toll on young women, we are concerned that sexual harassment may make it harder for them to get the education they need to take care of themselves and their families in the future.”

The American Association of University Women plans to follow up this research by helping colleges and universities forge solutions. AAUW is funding programs on eleven campuses aimed at finding new ways to combat campus sexual harassment. These projects were selected to help students, faculty, and administrators understand the scope of the problem, raise awareness of the issue, and implement projects that affect change in the campus climate.

“A campus environment that permits inappropriate verbal and physical contact undermines the emotional, intellectual, and professional growth of millions of young adults,” said Ruth Sweetser, president, American Association of University Women, “In such a setting young men and women fail to learn appropriate behaviors essential for success later in life. We need to support efforts that help them determine where, and how, to draw the line on sexual harassment.”

Programs were announced at Alfred University, Alfred, NY; Chemeketa Community College, Salem, OR; Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA; Indiana University, Bloomington, IN; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA; Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS; Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY; University of Akron, Akron, OH; University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL; and the University of North Texas, Denton, TX. These campuses were selected for their demonstrated efforts to proactively address campus sexual harassment, and for their commitment to doing even more to create the best possible learning environment for their students.

For additional information on Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus, including a PDF copy of the report, visit www.aauw.org/dtl.

Methodology: Harris Interactive^® conducted the Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus Study, online on behalf of the AAUW Educational Foundation between May 5 and 25, 2005, among 2,036 U.S. undergraduate college students ages 18 to 24. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. A post-weight was also applied to adjust qualified respondents to the more accurately reflect the proportions of male and female students between the ages of 18 to 21 and 22 to 24 years old.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-2 percentage points. Sampling error for the sub-samples of males (940), females (1096), males who have been sexually harassed (566) and females who have been sexually harassed (659) is higher and varies. This online sample is not a probability sample.

The AAUW Educational Foundation is a leader in research on the educational and economic status of women and girls. Its research on gender equity issues raises public awareness and provides a call to action for educational institutions, policy-makers, legislators, and the public. The Educational Foundation is also one of the world’s largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women.

The American Association of University Women, with its nationwide network of more than 100,000 members, 1,300 branches, and 550 college and university partners, has been a leading advocate for equity and education for women and girls since 1881. AAUW proudly celebrates its 125th anniversary this year—a legacy of leadership.

AAUW of Oregon provided generous support for the dissemination of Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus and to fund Campus Action Projects as part of AAUW's "Building a Harassment-Free Campus" initiative.

About Harris Interactive^®
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), based in Rochester, New York, is the 13^th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll^® and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in Paris, France and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies.