Research Briefs

Survivors + Allies is using our research study of survivors across all 10 UC campuses to produce short research briefs on important topics we identified in our data. Briefs might highlight unique needs of certain student groups, such as International students, or the importance of certain practices, such as trauma-informed training. These briefs were produced in collaboration with Survivors + Allies members.

Current Briefs

The Importance of Trauma-Informed Training for Mandated Reporters

Mandated reporters, also referred to as “responsible employees,” are professionals employed by a university who are required to report any instances of sexual violence, harassment, assault, and discrimination that occur on campus. This requirement is enforced and regulated by Title IX federal law, which was expanded to protect students from sexual violence, harassment, and discrimination. As mandated reporters, graduate students who work as teaching assistants (TAs), research coordinators, and in supervisor roles should be aware of how to support survivors and provide them with an array of resources available on campus. In addition, faculty and staff should be held to the same standard. It is essential that graduate students, research coordinators, faculty, and staff are trained to be trauma-informed, as they support and work closely with various student populations.

Furthermore, graduate students, regardless of the specific work they do for the university, deserve to work in an environment that is safe and supportive. A safe and supportive environment can be fostered by providing trauma-informed training on what it means to be a mandated reporter, where someone can go for confidential support, and how to redirect a survivor to resources when they can’t be a support person. Graduate students are still students, and although their role as a mandated reporter is required, they still have a responsibility to support themselves. Hence, learning how to support survivors in different ways, including redirecting them to proper resources, is a part of trauma-informed training. Mandated reporters can cause more harm and re-traumatization for survivors without the proper language and knowledge of how to support a survivor. Therefore, it is essential that graduate students, faculty, and staff receive more comprehensive trauma-informed training as representatives of the university.

Read Full Brief (PDF)

The Importance of Trauma-Informed Training for Mandated Reporters_ S+A Research Brief

Current Briefs

Comparing students of color & white students: awareness of and experiences with UC survivor resources

People of color disproportionately experience sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) at higher rates compared to White people. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, in 2010, the lifetime prevalence rate of sexual violence was 33.5% among Multiracial women, 26.9% among Native women, 22% among Black women, and 14.6% among Hispanic women, compared to 18.8% of White women. While the majority of cases of rape (80%) are reported by White cisgender women, many cases of SVSH tend to go unreported, and people of color are more likely to be assaulted than White women. On college campuses, however, there is an even higher risk of SVSH. Sexual violence is more prevalent and pervasive on college campuses compared to other crimes, and about 13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault.3 Given that the risk of SVSH is higher on college campuses and among people of color, more must be done to understand this population’s unique needs and experiences with resources.

Students have different experiences with the resources offered to them on their campuses. Their experiences are based on multiple factors, such as knowledge of whether said resources are confidential or non-confidential, and whether the staff available to them share similar identities. In fact, the confidentiality of a resource is already a specific concern that contributes to the decisions that students make when seeking support. A majority of SVSH survivors avoid contacting police and formal resources for support, especially college students. Students of color avoid resources that lack confidentiality due to the similar concerns, but also because of the pattern of institutional betrayal that they experience already.

Read Full Brief (PDF)