Mahrukh Delawarzad, Madelynn Hill, and Manizha Nazari “A Scoping Review of Higher Education Prevention & Response to Sexual Violence at University Campuses”
Mentor: Rose Hennessy Garza, Public Health
Oral Presentation Block 1

Sexual violence is defined as any type of unwanted sexual contact or behavior that happens without the explicit and informed consent of the victim. This can include rape, fondling, sexual coercion, or unwanted sexual advances. Sexual violence especially impacts those in higher education, including women, first-year students, LGBTQ+ students, racial/ethnic subgroups, and students who have done sex work, been homeless, or have a disability. Approximately one in five women and one in sixteen men experience sexual assault while in college, while almost half of all transgender people have been sexually assaulted during their lives. Rates are even higher for trans people of color. While many efforts exist to address campus sexual violence, less is known about how the perceptions and behaviors of administrators and personnel influence the campus climate and how they perpetuate sexual violence. A scoping review will be conducted to answer the question, “What is the current state of research pertaining to campus sexual violence from the perspective of campus personnel, with an emphasis on those in administrative leadership positions?” A team of three undergraduate students, a research librarian, and a faculty member at UWM will collaborate to design the study protocol following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, which will be submitted to Open Science Framework. Two undergraduates will review publications for inclusion using RAYYAN. The results of this study will yield a manuscript that includes themes and key findings on the current perceptions of leadership and personnel related to sexual violence in higher education. An emphasis will be provided on findings related to prevention, as this is most likely to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence. This problem needs to be eradicated; these findings may be used to improve campus communities so that students do not have to deal with the mental and physical health impacts of sexual violence.