Deconstructing Campus Sexual Assault Among Black Students: An Assessment of Campus Climate at Predominately White Institutions

Interpersonal violence is a prominent issue on university and college campuses within the United States. Women attending college are a particularly vulnerable population to experiencing sexual violence. Many of the previous research studies have focused on white women in relation to campus sexual assault (CSA). The primary goal of the present study is to measure the prevalence of sexual assault within minority based populations on campus. Previous research studies have found members of minoritized groups to be at a higher risk of experiencing campus interpersonal violence than are White Women, people without disabilities, and cisgender individuals. In addition, being apart of a minority social group, such as being non-White, is associated with a lower likelihood of reporting. A large contributor to the issue of minority students\u27 relationship to CSA victimization is the existence of well-known stereotypes. The Jezebel stereotype characterizes Black women as promiscuous, seductive, sexually insatiable which has caused detrimental consequences on Black women’s sexual health and relationships. The present study investigates the relationship between sexual assault and campus climate, the prevalance of sexual victimization of Black students at a predominately white institution, and how racial stereotypes affect sexual assault prevalance rates. This study used a mixed-methods approach, including a survey and interviews. Research has been conducted quantitatively through an online survey administered to a random sample of Bucknell students and contextualized through a qualitative interview project with Bucknell students of color. Results indicate that there are no differences in CSA prevalence rates between White and BIPOC populations. Additionally, the endorsement of the jezebel stereotype is higher among White people as compared with BIPOC people. Finally, there were lower positive perceptions of institutional response among people who experienced Gender Based Violence, BIPOC participants and Women