The message is being sent to all Duke undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
Please note that this email includes references to gender-based violence, including sexual assault.
Dear students,
Duke is committed to promoting a community built on respect, responsibility, and support where every student has the opportunity to thrive. As we continue to enhance and evaluate our prevention and response efforts related to sexual misconduct, we are asking for your help.
Later this month, we are partnering with Rankin Climate to launch the Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey, an important opportunity to better address our students’ experiences of sexual misconduct and to understand how we compare to a cohort of institutions. Such surveys are a best practice at universities nationwide, and your participation is essential to their success. By completing the survey, you’ll help us gather valuable insights that will shape future efforts to enhance support for all Duke students.
Student participation in a 2018 survey informed our current prevention programs and response resources: Before coming to campus, all students engage in an evidence-based training module on sexual assault prevention. During first-year orientation, undergraduates continue that engagement with in-person conversations and skill-building around bystander intervention and building healthy relationships. Our Balthrop-Cassidy (BC) Fellows and Gender Violence Education and Outreach (GVEO) staff develop and deliver prevention programming tailored to student needs and experiences. Confidential support is available through Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for survivors and those who support them. DukeReach provides supportive measures and ongoing support. The Office for Institutional Equity (OIE) administers trauma-informed resolution processes rooted in equity, safety, and accountability.
Still, there is more work to do. Sexual harassment, misconduct, and assault have no place in the Duke community. Please use your voice to help inform our continued efforts to eradicate sexual misconduct from our culture of respect, safety, and accountability.
On March 18, you will receive a link to the survey. Your responses will be completely anonymous and confidential. As a thank you for your time, the first 200 students to complete the survey will receive $5 in food points. More prizes will be announced when the survey launches.
We encourage you to participate and contribute to the ongoing effort to build a safer, more inclusive Duke. For more information, please visit this website.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Hewitt
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer
Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost and Vice President, Student Affairs
