Report 2013-124 Recommendation 69 Responses
Report 2013-124: Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence: California Universities Must Better Protect Students by Doing More to Prevent, Respond to, and Resolve Incidents (Release Date: June 2014)
Recommendation #69 To: San Diego, California State University
To identify ways to better serve their students, all universities should create a summary of student incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence reported to the various departments on campus. Each university should evaluate its summary data to identify trends specific to the demographics, as well as the timing, location, and frequency of incidents, to better inform its strategies to protect students and direct its outreach efforts.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2016
SDSU logs all incidents and conducts an annual review of Title IX incidents reported to the various departments across campus. The review includes the Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Title IX Coordinators, and the Sexual Violence Task Force. In reviewing the incidents, we look for trends in order to better inform our strategies to protect students and direct our outreach efforts. In addition to our annual incidents, we also review our bi-annual Campus Climate Survey results, which is an anonymous survey that goes out to all students and for which we had a 30% participation rate for our first survey in Spring 2015 (next survey will be completed in Spring 2017). Based on the log of reported incidents, the biggest trend that we are seeing is a decrease in formal complaints/ investigations and an increase in the number of complainants requesting interim remedies and academic accommodations without filing a formal complaint. We believe that this is due to a more educated student population who understand their rights under Title IX to receive interim remedies and academic accommodations even if they choose not to file a complaint. Based on both the annual incident log and the Campus Climate Surveys results, we are focusing efforts on educating women in sororities, trainings focused on educating students from underrepresented communities, and our LGBT community, as well as programming targeting our male students to address issues of masculinity and rape culture. Discussions regarding trends and necessary programming occur at every Sexual Violence Task Force meeting.
- Completion Date: July 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From February 2016
A subcommittee of the Sexual Violence Task Force has completed a review of student survey data relating to the prevalence of sexual violence at SDSU. This survey data provides important information relating to trends and risk markers.
- Completion Date: February 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
The documentation provided by San Diego State evaluated the data submitted through the student survey. However, the documentation provided did not describe how it informed the strategies San Diego State has in place to protect students and direct its outreach efforts. In addition, our recommendation specifically discusses a summary of incidents that were reported to various departments on campus. This review was not included in the documentation provided. Therefore, we have assessed this recommendation as partially implemented.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2015
SDSU meets regularly to discuss Title IX complaints and to review complaint logs. The identification of trends to better inform SDSU's strategies relating to awareness, prevention and support will take at least two years to fully identify. Looking at only one year's worth of data provides an incomplete picture given the already identified cycles relating to the increase of sexual assaults that occur during the red-zone and during the start of the spring semester.
- Estimated Completion Date: February 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented
1-Year Agency Response
The campus has developed a log for all Title IX complaints. This log contains summary information relating to complaints of sexual harassment and sexual violence. The Title IX Coordinator, in collaboration with the Deputy Title IX Coordinators, the co-chairs of the Sexual Violence Task Force and select university leadership, will evaluate the summary data at the end of each fiscal year to identify trends to better inform its strategies to protect students and direct outreach efforts.
- Completion Date: April 2015
- Response Date: June 2015
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented
Although San Diego State has marked this recommendation as Fully Implemented, we have assessed it as Partially Implemented. San Diego State has not yet identified demographic trends that will better inform its strategies to protect students and direct its outreach efforts.
6-Month Agency Response
The Title IX Coordinator is currently in the process of compiling 2013/14 data. The Title IX Coordinator, in collaboration with the Sexual Violence Task Force, will evaluate the summary data to identify trends to better inform its strategies to protect students and direct outreach efforts.
- Estimated Completion Date: February 2015
- Response Date: December 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The Title IX Coordinator is currently in the process of compiling 2013/14 data. The Title IX Coordinator, in collaboration with the Sexual Violence Task Force, will evaluate the summary data to identify trends to better inform its strategies to protect students and direct outreach efforts.
- Estimated Completion Date: January 2015
- Response Date: August 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2013-124
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.