As the deadline approaches for taking the Campus Climate Survey on addressing and preventing sexual violence, we want to make sure that your voice is heard and represented. In 20 minutes or less, you can make a difference. 

If you're a UNM undergrad student between the ages of 18-24, check your email for the survey link, sent from uprevent@uky.edu. Be sure to take the survey no later than Monday, May 14 and you'll be entered to win Amazon gift cards and UNM swag!

In the wake of sexual assault allegations raised against Harvey Weinstein, rally cries of #MeToo and #TimesUp are everywhere. From the Grammys to groups of women farmworkers to Time Magazine’s 2017 Person of the Year. People of all genders across disciplines and industries are responding, and The University of New Mexico (UNM) is joining the conversation through student trainings (The Grey Area), the LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center and annual campus climate surveys.

Teen Vogue compiled data showing the rising rates of sexual assault and misconduct on college campuses. In spring 2016, UNM began engaging in campus climate surveys to assess sexual violence on campus. The results of the surveys are used to create awareness and prevention programs based on anonymous input from students.

This year, with sexual assault headlines dominating the media, it is more important than ever that UNM students take part in the survey and make their concerns known.

The Multi-College Bystander Efficacy Evaluation (McBEE) Campus Climate Survey will be sent to UNM undergrad students age 18-24 on March 26. Students should be sure to keep an eye out for it, because it comes from the email address uprevent@uky.edu. Those who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for a variety of prizes. All survey responses and data will be de-identified to ensure privacy.

The results of the 2018 Campus Climate Survey will directly influence UNM’s approach to addressing sexual violence. To create informed campaigns and programs, it’s critical that UNM receives a high rate of response to the survey.

“The higher the response rate, the more we can say our data accurately reflects what our students experience,” says Heather Cowan, Title IX Coordinator at UNM’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). “Without a high response rate, we’d be making significant decisions based on deficient information.”

Results of past surveys were highly instructive and have influenced the formation of bystander programs at UNM.

 “We learned that our students know where to report sexual misconduct concerns, how to recognize potentially violent or dangerous situations and that students are starting to intervene,” Cowan said. “We intend to build on this and teach more of our campus how to be effective bystanders and safely intervene in situations that promote sexual misconduct or could lead to sexual violence.”

The most important part of this process is to make sure a high percentage of students take the survey, to guarantee that student voices are heard and expressed. 

Dr. Theresa Cruz, deputy director of UNM’s Prevention Research Center and faculty liaison for this study, notes that, “We are at a key moment in time, and it’s important to have all of our voices heard as we work to make UNM safer for everyone.”

Questions about the survey? Contact UNM’s Office of Equal Opportunity.