Wichita State released the results of a third party Title IX survey last week. 

The survey was conducted by the law firm Cozen O’Connor last semester to better understand the “visibility, awareness, and effectiveness of campus policies, resources, training and educational programming regarding harassment and discrimination.” The survey did not measure the incident rates on campus.

“We have operated with a commitment to candor and transparency with anyone having contact with our office,” Christine Taylor, the director of institutional equity and compliance, said in an email to The Sunflower. 

“Publishing the report is an extension of OIEC’s commitment and the University’s overall commitment to transparency.”

Because the survey was conducted by a third party, Taylor said that they could not presume the survey’s goal.

“As a research university, we know that community opinion surveys are frequently deployed to better understand and evaluate the opinions and experiences of those who participate in the survey,” Taylor said. 

The survey was distributed to 15,350 campus community members— 2,937 employees and 12,403 students. 5.9% responded. 

Out of the 499 employees that participated, 339 responded “yes” when asked if they participated in a training, education or prevention program. 56 employees answered “no” and 90 were unsure. 14 employees either selected “decline to answer” or did not provide an answer.

Out of the 412 student participants, 232 said that they participated in training. 165 answered “no”. The other 15 either checked “decline to answer” or did not provide an answer. 

135 students said that they did not remember training being offered to them, 13 students said they had training offered to them but chose not to take it. 

Earlier last week, the Student Government Association and OIEC announced mandatory Title IX training to better students’ understanding of the policies and resources that are in place.

“Taking this step is important because we want to make sure that we are creating a culture of safety, of educating our students so that they know the resources that we have for them,” SGA president Rija Khan said.

The survey also asked participants if they or anyone they knew experienced any forms of sexual assault or harassment on campus, if they chose to report, their experience with OIEC, and more. To view the full survey, click here.