January 31, 2024
Dear Students:
Every few years, Georgetown conducts a survey alongside other peer institutions to understand the prevalence of sexual misconduct on our campuses and our community’s awareness of the resources to help prevent and respond to misconduct.
Tomorrow, we will launch our third campus climate survey on sexual misconduct and awareness, which will be open between February 1 and March 15.
Your participation is important. We had more than 7,900 students participate in our 2016 survey and more than 6,100 students participated in 2019. These were some of the highest participation rates among all of the schools who took part in each survey.
By participating, you help our University to better understand the prevalence and incidence of sexual misconduct in our community, perspectives among students about the campus climate, and knowledge and awareness of resources. We hope to understand any differences in our community after the steps we implemented in response to our 2019 survey and to compare our data with the nine other schools participating in the survey this year.
Once the survey opens tomorrow, you will receive an email about the “2024 Higher Education Sexual Misconduct and Awareness (HESMA) Survey” from the research firm Westat that will include your individualized link and details on how to participate. All degree-seeking students based in Washington, D.C., including those currently studying abroad, will receive an individualized link. This process ensures confidentiality. Please look for emails from Westat to access the survey between February 1 and March 15, 2024.
You can find more information about Georgetown’s survey, including Frequently Asked Questions and a list of confidential sexual assault and misconduct resources on our Title IX website.
This survey is an important tool in our ongoing work to respond to any instances of misconduct and to understand the impact of recent initiatives that add new layers of support, encourage bystander intervention, and increase awareness of resources. All of us have a role in fostering a supportive and safe community that works together against sexual misconduct. We look forward to sharing the results of this survey with our community and to engaging the survey data in our future efforts.
I wish to express my gratitude to you for participating in this survey and for helping to encourage others to participate.
Sincerely,
John J. DeGioia