Princeton University officials address survey findings that show many students claim to have been victims of sexual misconduct.
PRINCETON -- Twenty percent of Princeton University students who took a survey on sexual misconduct reported being the victim of some type if inappropriate sexual behavior while a university student last school year.
The report, titles "We Speak: Attitudes on Sexual Misconduct at Princeton University," was the result of answers the university gathered from a confidential survey available to enrolled undergraduate and graduate students in the spring.
The survey posed a range of questions to students regarding sexual misconduct, including everything from students' experiences with sexual assault and stalking to whether they knew of university resources to help after instance of sexual misconduct.
Of the 4,078 students who filled out the survey - a little over half of eligible students - around 20 percent said they had experienced some form of sexual misconduct, which could include nonconsensual sex, stalking, abuse or sexual harassment, according to the findings.
The report stated that undergraduate students, especially women, were far more likely to report that kind of abuse or misconduct than graduate students.
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While university officials declined to comment further on the survey, they did post a statement discussing the findings on the school's website Tuesday.
The statement included a letter from Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber, who wrote that the numbers were "disturbingly and unacceptably high."
"These are painful experiences that can leave scars that last a lifetime, and they can have a corrosive effect not only on the individuals involved, but on our sense of security, mutual trust, and community," Eisgruber wrote.
Though the number of students who reported instances of sexual abuse or misconduct is distressing, Eisgruber wrote that the survey may help the university address the problem.
A file photo of Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber in his office on campus on Friday, April 26, 2013. In the letter, Eisgruber pointed out how many students - around 70 percent of those who reported sexual misconduct - claimed alcohol was a factor. He wrote that the university needs to understand the relationship between alcohol and sexual misconduct in order to reduce those numbers.
He also noted that some students did not turn to campus resources like public safety or the university's health services following an alleged misconduct. Some stated that they did not think their experiences warranted the attention or that they wanted to address the problem on their own, according to the statement.
Though nearly two-thirds of the survey takers said they knew where to go for help, Eisgruber wrote that two-thirds was too few.
"We need to make sure students know about all of the resources available to them and that they feel fully respected and supported when they come forward," the president wrote.
University spokesman Martin Mbugua, said that conducting the survey was not exclusive to Princeton University. Many other universities across the country have been conducting similar surveys and releasing similar reports, he added.
For Princeton University, the release of the report is not the end of the survey.
The university plans to conduct another this year and the following year.
And it plans to discuss the report at a meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community on Oct. 12.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
