University Of North Alabama To Release 3rd Brief From Student Campus Climate Survey

Oct. 06, 2015

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@60654a.com, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

By Bryan Rachal,University Communications FLORENCE, Ala.-The University of North Alabama is continuing to release in-depth information related to a Student Campus Climate Survey. The 3rd brief was released today and deals with Intimate Partner Violence. So far, the university has releasedthreeoffourbriefs related to the survey, which was conducted in the fall of 2014. The information gathered during this time provides the University with critical information regarding the campus climate, campus resources and the experiences of UNA's students. It also coincides with Title IX mandates instituted by the U.S. Department of Education. Associate Professor of sociology and family studies at UNA Dr. Amber Paulk said intimate violence is any form of violence where the primary motivator is the assertion of power,control and/or intimidation. Paulk said the most recent study specifically measuredstudents'experiences with physical forms of intimate partner violence (e.g., slapping, kicking, etc.). However, she said,in the futuretheyalso hope to measure other forms (e.g., verbal, emotional). According to the report, 96 percent of intimate partner violence victims don't reportit,which Paulk said isn't really surprising and is actually consistent with other studies. "IPV is one of the most under-reported crimes in the U.S. for a variety of reasons. We hope by raising the awareness of the services that UNA offers to assist victims, more students will report and gethelp,"she said. Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Title IX coordinator Tammy Jacques said UNA has implemented Haven as an on-line educational tool to help individuals identify concerning behaviors in a dating relationship that might be abusive. "This education will also help others, as bystanders, identify potential abusive behavior that someone they know may be experiencing," said Jacques. "There is a team of faculty and students facilitating Bystander Intervention to help students understand and identify power based violence. Our hope is through education, we can continue to prevent these types of behaviors from happening to our students." The study was conducted by Drs. Amber Paulk, Andrea Hunt and Yaschica Williams of UNA's Department of Sociology and Family Studies. The measures in the survey were taken directly from a White House Task Force Report. The online survey contained measures designed to assess the incidence and prevalence of unwanted sexual experiences, intimate partner violence, and stalking/bullying. It also contained measures that assessed students' perceptions of the general campus; perceptions of campus leadership, policies, and reporting practices as they relate to sexual assault; rape myth acceptance; and bystander attitudes and behaviors. According toa reportby theDepartment of Education, Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receivefederal financial assistance.Title IX states: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. To view Brief3:Intimate Partner Violenceat UNA: http://ixrh.60654a.com/titleix/Documents/Brief%203%20-%20Intimate%20Partner%20Violence.pdf For more information on Title IX at UNA:http://ixrh.60654a.com/titleix/index.html