Higher Education Sexual Misconduct and Awareness (HESMA) Survey Results

To: Caltech Students
From: Lynzie De Veres, Assistant Vice President for Equity and Equity Investigations, Title IX Coordinator; and Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux, Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Assessment

Last spring, all Caltech undergraduate and graduate students were invited to participate in a campus survey on their experience, awareness, and perception of the prevalence of sexual assault and misconduct on campus and their understanding of the Institute's procedures and response to such issues. Ten colleges and universities, including Caltech, contracted with the social science research firm, Westat, to administer the 2024 Higher Education and Sexual Misconduct and Awareness (HESMA) Survey.

Today, Caltech released its survey results. The results describe the perceptions and experiences of the 537 undergraduate and graduate students, almost a quarter of the eligible student population, who completed the survey, and provide additional aggregate findings from across the 10 participating institutions. Each of the partners will publish its own results. The full HESMA survey is available on Westat's website.

In our initial review of the results, it appears that efforts in recent years to increase student awareness about sexual assault and misconduct, particularly at the undergraduate level, have been effective. At the same time, there remains considerable work to be done to ensure that students feel safe, secure, and supported on campus, particularly among women and gender-diverse groups. We can do more to broaden student understanding of the Title IX processes and procedures, to enhance trust in Institute systems and response, to encourage reporting of problematic behavior and implementation of safe bystander intervention, and to support the development of healthy relationships among peers, colleagues, and partners.

The 2024 HESMA survey, taken into consideration with direct conversation with students, student leaders, and identity and affinity groups who disproportionately experience incidents of sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment, will help to guide Caltech activities, interventions, and response in these areas, as have previous campus climate surveys and community conversations.

We invite everyone to review the report. We hope that you will find the survey informative and that you will continue to engage with the Equity and Title IX and Institute Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Assessment offices as we move forward.

In the weeks to come, we will invite you to conversations about the survey, its findings, and next steps. You, our students, are a critical partner in these conversations, and we encourage you to participate.

We are grateful to all who have already shared your time and experiences. We are committed to working collaboratively to meet our shared goals and expectations for the Caltech student experience. Together we can ensure that Caltech is a place where all individuals are welcome, supported, and able to achieve their best.