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Sexual Harassment in Academia

Program Evaluation Request for Proposal
Sexual Harassment in Academia

Requester: Office of the President of ABC University
ABC University is a private university located in a suburb of a medium-sized metropolitan area. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Approximately 40% of undergraduates and 15% of graduate students live on campus. The remainder commute to campus, with approximately 60% commuting from nearby private housing facilities (e.g., student apartment complexes, homes). Each year, the university admits approximately 500 full-time and 200 part-time undergraduates (all programs, all levels for first admission), 200 full-time and 340 part-time master’s degree students (all programs, all levels for first admission), and 280 full-time and 250 part-time doctoral degree students (all programs, all levels for first admission). Current enrollment, all programs, is approximately 8,500 students.
Problem
Sexual harassment is a problem in academia, especially for women (Abrams, 2018; Cantalupo & Kidder, 2018). Women are 3.5 times more likely than men to experience sexual harassment throughout their academic careers; 64% of female and male trainees have described inappropriate sexual comments when on academic field placements (Clancy et al., 2014). Colleges and universities are required by law to have in place policies and procedures for protecting students from sexual harassment (e.g., training of staff, faculty, and students), reporting and investigating such events, and taking any appropriate follow-up actions (Cantalupo & Kidder, 2018). Victims of sexual harassment in academia continue to be reluctant to confront their harassers or to file formal reports of sexual harassment. These victims often look to peers for emotional and social support but may be revictimized by negative responses from their peers (Orchowski & Gidycz, 2015). Further, few peers who witness or learn about sexual harassment of a female student peer actually take any action to intervene directly to stop the harassment or to offer other, indirect help and support for the victim.

Purpose

For the past 5 years, ABC University has been offering face-to-face two-part training on sexual harassment to new-admission students who elect to participate. The training is offered through the university’s Counseling Center to small groups of 15–20. Part 2 of this training targets attitudes, beliefs, and norms that affect actions that can be taken by victims (similar to information offered in Abrams [2018] and Foster & Fullagar [2018]) and by observers (direct and indirect) of sexual harassment (based on the Bowes-Sperry & O’Leary-Kelly [2005] model of bystander intervention). The university’s Office of the President is seeking an evaluation of the impact of this training on the college community at large with regard to intervention by peers.

This project specifically will address the following questions:
1. Over the years since the expanded questions were introduced on the annual Campus Climate Survey,
a. have there been changes in responses from the student community at large to questions on their experiences, as victim or observers, of sexual harassment?
b. If so, what are the changes?
2. Are there differences in responses from the student community at large to these expanded questions
a. before and after the implementation of the optional face-to-face two-part training on sexual harassment? If so,
b. what are the differences?
3. Are there differences in responses to these expanded questions between students who completed the training and those who did not?

In addition to data from the university Campus Climate Survey, the Office of the President of ABC University will support approved follow-up requests for data and interviews with trainers and students who participated in the training program for further clarification on these students’ experiences, especially with respect to being in the role of observer (direct or indirect) of sexual harassment.

Sample Answer

Evaluation Design and Methodology

Given the evaluation questions focus on changes over time and differences between groups, a Quasi-Experimental Design utilizing existing data and supplemental data collection is the most appropriate approach.

Primary Design: Retrospective Time-Series Analysis with Comparison Groups

The design will primarily analyze existing data from the annual Campus Climate Survey across the five-year history of the program.

Data Collection Procedures

Data Access and Linkage: Obtain secure, anonymized access to five years of Campus Climate Survey data and corresponding training participation records. The two datasets must be merged using a temporary, anonymized ID to create the Trained vs. Untrained comparison groups for Q3, adhering to all privacy and ethical guidelines.

Quantitative Data Cleaning: Ensure consistency in survey question coding over the five-year period.

Qualitative Sampling: Use stratified random sampling to select approximately 20-30 training completers for interviews. Stratification factors may include gender, residential status (on-campus vs. commuter), and time elapsed since training completion (to assess retention).

Qualitative Interviews: Conduct one-on-one, audio-recorded interviews (60 minutes each). Protocols will include open-ended questions targeting the Bowes-Sperry & O'Leary-Kelly (2005) model steps (e.g., Did you recognize the situation? Did you feel responsible? What action did you take?).

4. Analysis Plan

Quantitative Analysis

Descriptive Statistics: Calculate proportions (percentages) and means for key survey items across all groups.

Inferential Statistics:

Q1 & Q2 (Time/Trend): Use Chi-Square Trend Analysis for categorical data (e.g., "I took action") and ANOVA/Regression Models for continuous data (e.g., attitude scales) to identify statistically significant shifts in responses across years and between pre/post-implementation periods.

Q3 (Group Comparison): Use Independent Samples t-tests (for two-group comparison) and ANOVA (if comparing more than two groups/levels of training) to test for statistically significant differences between trained and untrained students on bystander actions, perceived barriers to intervention, and reporting intentions.