The University of Toronto’s full-time undergraduate and graduate students received a mass email on February 26 asking them to complete a survey on sexual violence on campus. This survey has been administered by CCI Research, a social survey research and analysis company, on behalf of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, colleges, private career colleges and universities in Ontario, according to the press release on U of T News.
The Medium spoke with vice-provost, students and sociology professor Sandy Welsh regarding the survey. “It is very important for students to fill out this survey, so the faculty and administration can better understand the experiences of students on campus,” stated Welsh.
According to Welsh, the university wanted to better understand the experiences of students on campus, and the survey is just “one way of reporting what’s happening on campus.”
The survey is overlooked by the Sexual Violence Climate Survey Advisory Board, which is com-posed of U of T faculty, administration, along with students from the undergraduate and graduate level. The Health Sciences Research Ethics Board at U of T looks at the survey’s adherence to uni-versity ethics protocol. The purpose of the survey, as Welsh mentioned, is to be able glean results from the data that translate to improved programming and policies for students on campus who are experiencing sexual violence.
There are resource and support centre on all U of T campuses, built to help those who experience a form of sexual violence, such as the tri-campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, located at DV 3094G on the UTM.
According to the mass email, participation in the research is voluntary and students have until March 26 to complete the survey.
