Women’s Experiences of Stalking on Campus: Behaviour Changes and Access to University Resources

The present study examined whether behavioural changes made by women students who experienced stalking on campus restricted their access to university resources and facilities. A diverse sample of two hundred and fifty-five university women with experiences of stalking, including racialized women, women with disabilities and members of sexual minorities, completed an online survey and asked if they had made changes to their behaviour on campus in order to feel safer or more secure and to describe those changes. Using phenomenological thematic analysis and a feminist theory framework of understanding stalking behaviour, themes and subthemes relevant to the research questions were generated. Thematic analysis of participant’s responses yielded five themes based on changes in behaviours or attitudes identified by students: restrictions in campus movements, increased vigilance, changes in social engagement, changes in academic engagement, and use of health/support services. Women self-identifying with a disability were more likely to report changing their behaviour on campus to feel safer and more comfortable following stalking victimization compared to individuals without disabilities

Sexual Violence and Women’s Education: Examining Academic Performance and Persistence

Sexual violence continues to be a serious problem on university campuses. While the negative psychological and health effects of sexual violence are well known, it is only recently that attention has focused on how these behaviours impact education, particularly women’s education. This study contributes to this area and examined the impact of types of sexual violence on behavioural and attitudinal indicators of academic performance and persistence among students reporting sexual violence. Undergraduate women attending university in Ontario, Canada (N= 934) responded to survey measures of academic performance, attitudes towards education and sexual violence experiences. The results indicate that sexual violence has a deleterious impact on women’s academic performance including and beyond grades. Women students who experienced sexual violence reported more delays and failures on assignments, courses and exams, were more likely to endorse attendance problems and thoughts of dropping out or quitting than students not reporting sexual violence. Type of sexual violence experienced was also related to academic performance.  The results are discussed in terms of the need to understand components of academic performance as well as factors that may contribute to outcomes for students. Findings have implications for intervention and policy development