Sexual Assault on College Campuses and the Impact of Race on Reporting

Presenter Information

Theresa EdwardsFollow

Panel Name

Inequality in the U.S. Today: Seeking Justice, Equality, Treatment, and Redemption

Location

Lecture Center 5

Start Date

3-5-2019 3:15 PM

End Date

3-5-2019 4:45 PM

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Academic Major

Criminal Justice, Sociology

Abstract

The focus of this study is to analyze the disparity that exists between black and white female college students as it pertains to reporting incidents of sexual assault. Potential causes and explanations for this disparity include access to – or lack of – resources like confidential reporting, advocacy, and medical assistance, knowledge of available resources, and cultural influences. Cultural and racial variables are often not included in sexual violence research, response curriculum and prevention curriculum. Existing research on this topic most frequently fails to address college populations by race and fails to consider sociological and psychological factors that influence reporting. The following analysis will explore the effects of the three major elements that influence a victim’s willingness to disclose and incident of sexual assault: the historical context of black women and sexual assault, feelings of institutional distrust, and lack of cultural competence in sexual assault prevention and response curriculum.

Select Where This Work Originated From

Honors College Thesis

First Faculty Advisor

Hayward Derrick Horton

First Advisor Email

hdhorton@albany.edu

First Advisor Department

Sociology

Second Faculty Advisor

Angie Chung

Second Faculty Advisor Email

aychung@albany.edu

Second Advisor Department

Sociology

The work you will be presenting can best be described as

Finished or mostly finished by conference date