< MIT Health & Wellness Surveys:
FAQ for 2014 Community Attitudes on Sexual Assault

What is the Community Attitudes on Sexual Assault Survey?
The aim of this survey is to collect information on some social and cultural aspects of MIT culture, attitudes and opinions on different types of social behavior, and experiences in different types of sexual situations, including those that are nonconsensual. We are gathering this information in order to get a clear picture of sexual assault at MIT so that we can develop new prevention programs, refine response services, and tailor educational efforts appropriately. Our ultimate goal is to make MIT as safe as possible for all students through continuous assessment of institutional activities, as well as development of tools to fill any gaps that currently exist in services or common social knowledge, which we can only uncover through student responses to this survey.

What does the survey ask about?
The survey asks about the following topics which research has shown are related to sociocultural spaces that are either conducive to or have successfully minimized instances of sexual assault:

Personal Beliefs and Attitudes
Perceived Social Norms
Active Bystander Behavior
Reasons for Reacting in Social Situations
Experiences with Uncomfortable Behavior
Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences
Further Information on Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences (if applicable)
Utilization Experiences with the Committee on Discipline (if applicable)
Impacts of Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences (if applicable)

Why are you asking about these topics?
MIT’s mission is to provide a safe and supportive environment for students to flourish in, both academically and personally. We are asking about topics that may be considered private or personal because we need an accurate picture of what is happening in the lives of MIT students in order to work on preventing negative experiences and responding to these types of situations when they do occur. This is the first survey of its kind at MIT that asks in-depth questions about sexual behavior and experiences, and it is imperative that the information gathered is as accurate as possible, which requires using anatomically correct language that may make some people uncomfortable.

Participation in the survey is completely voluntary, and respondents are free to skip any question that they do not wish to answer.

What kind of language will be used in this survey and why?
This is the first survey of its kind at MIT that asks in-depth questions about sexual behavior and experiences, and it is imperative that the information gathered is as accurate as possible, which requires using anatomically correct language that may make some people uncomfortable. Other surveys that have been administered to MIT students have included questions asking about similar topics, but without the use of behaviorally-specific, anatomically accurate language which increases the quality of the responses gathered through its level of precision.  

Are my answers to the survey going to be anonymous or confidential?
All of the responses collected through this survey will be anonymous. The survey will be administered in a way that will make it impossible to reconnect identifying information and responses. Students will receive a unique link to answer the survey, which serves as a one-time use "ticket" to record a survey response. No information from the unique link will be stored with the survey response. The survey system strips information from the response that could constitute identifying information, including IP address, before recording the final response. Students selecting the TechCASH incentive will enter that information in a web form that is separate from the main survey. All responses will be reported in aggregate only.

What does “reported in aggregate” mean?
It means all responses from a given group of people are mixed together and reported out as a single set of numbers.  In the case of text responses, it means all comments from a given group are mixed together and reported as a single set of comments.

What if I reveal something on the survey that could be considered illegal or violate MIT policies?
Some of the questions on the survey ask about behavior that may be considered socially unacceptable, or may meet the legal definitions of a crime in some jurisdictions. The purpose of this survey is not to ask students to self-incriminate, nor is it to punish anyone for past behavior. This survey’s only aim is to collect information to guide prevention and response efforts at MIT.

Furthermore, the data will be collected and stripped in such a way that it will be impossible to connect a response or set of responses with any information that could be considered identifying information. In other words, if a respondent discloses that they were a victim of a crime or committed a crime, we will not be able to know who that person is nor will we be able to contact them.

Why am I being asked to take this survey?
As an MIT student or alum, you are being asked to take this survey because your opinions, attitudes and experiences are extremely important. They will ultimately guide the institution in making MIT a better place for students to thrive in.

Who is invited to take the survey?
This survey is being sent to all undergraduate and graduate students who are currently enrolled. It will also be sent to alumni who have graduated from MIT in the past two years. We are sending this to a total of approximately 12,000 individuals.

Who is administering and analyzing the results of the survey?
The Office of Institutional Research will prepare tables of overall results, and a researcher in MIT Medical will summarize and analyze the data.

Will I get to see the survey results?
Yes, a summary report will be released after all of data is analyzed.

What will MIT Medical and the Chancellor do with the results?
MIT Medical will use the results to guide prevention and response efforts developed and implemented by Violence Prevention & Response (VPR). For more information on VPR, visit: http://mit.edu/wecanhelp. The Chancellor will use the results to make recommendations for the MIT Community.

If I have a question, who can answer it?
If you have any questions about the Community Attitudes on Sexual Assault Survey, contact casa-survey@mit.edu.