United States and English University Responses to Student Disclosures of Sexual Violence

美国和英国大学对学生披露性暴力的回应

• 批准号: ES/X005801/1
• 负责人: Erin Shannon
• 金额: $ 11.86万
• 依托单位: Newcastle University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FX005801%2F1
• 关键词: United; States; English; University; Responses

Sexual violence in US and English universities remains a significant issue, as 20-25% of female higher education students will experience sexual violence before finishing their undergraduate studies. Despite these high rates of victimisation, scholarship on university responses to sexual violence remains limited. What scholarship does exist, however, indicates that institutional-including university-responses to sexual violence reports can often be retraumatising to survivors; it is therefore vital to study such responses to not only further scholarly inquiry, but also improve support for survivors. My doctoral thesis contributes to our understanding of institutional responses by comparing how a selection of 10 universities in the United States and England respond to student disclosures of sexual violence. Although the US and England have similar student populations and victimisation rates, their response models for sexual violence in universities differ significantly: The US has a national legalistic, often punitive framework through Title IX, while England encourages individual responses following Universities UK's Changing the Culture report guidance. I analysed these different response models at three levels: the structural level through policy discourse analysis of the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter Title IX guidance in the US and the 2016 Universities UK Changing the Culture report; the institutional level through in-depth, 1-2-hour-long interviews with 26 staff members (e.g. wellbeing advisors, policy leads, student discipline managers) across 10 universities throughout the US and England; and the subjective level of lived experience through interviews with 19 student survivors across the two countries. By examining national, institutional, and personal levels of this issue, I was able to make connections between national policy and the emotional responses of those trying to report sexual violence in universities.My thesis argues that US and English universities respond to student disclosures of sexual violence by prioritising university reputation over student survivor wellbeing, which reflects the neoliberal policy agenda in which they operate. While mainstream narratives position such retraumatising responses as the result of universities failing to comply with policies, my thesis demonstrates that retraumatising responses for survivors are genuinely compliant with national policy guidance, and suggests that the current response frameworks themselves are untenable. Most universities in my sample were complying with national guidance, yet that compliance did not prevent further harming survivors. In fact, the universities often presented in a positive light because they accomplished policy recommendations are the same universities that are traumatising survivors through those very processes. This Fellowship will enable me to publish and disseminate this research that will not only further scholarly understanding of this urgent issue, but also improve institutional responses for survivors. Through 3 peer-reviewed articles, I will publish my findings that challenge existing understandings of institutional power dynamics; I will also submit a proposal for a sole-authored manuscript along with a sample chapter. In order to strengthen my research network, I will organise a day-long research symposium featuring the leading scholars of sexual violence in universities. I will also organise 2 knowledge exchange workshops with university response staff that will lead to a public-facing report with recommendations to improve responses for survivors. Lastly, this Fellowship will create the groundwork for a research career as I will submit a proposal for a 3-year Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. Successful completion of these aims will position me as an emerging scholar with much to contribute to knowledge and practice around sexual violence in institutions.

美国和英国大学的性暴力仍然是一个重要问题，因为20-25%的女性高等教育学生在完成本科学业之前会经历性暴力。尽管这些高比例的性暴力，奖学金的大学反应仍然有限。什么奖学金确实存在，但是，表明，机构，包括大学，对性暴力报告的反应往往会对幸存者造成创伤;因此，研究这种反应不仅是进一步的学术调查，而且还改善对幸存者的支持是至关重要的。我的博士论文通过比较美国和英国10所大学对学生披露性暴力的反应，有助于我们理解机构的反应。虽然美国和英国有相似的学生群体和自杀率，但他们对大学性暴力的反应模式有很大的不同：美国通过第九条制定了一个全国性的法律框架，通常是惩罚性的，而英格兰则鼓励个人按照英国大学改变文化的报告指导做出反应。我从三个层面分析了这些不同的回应模式：通过对2011年美国《亲爱的同事信》第九条指南和2016年英国《大学改变文化》报告的政策话语分析，分析了结构层面;通过与26名工作人员进行1-2小时的深入访谈，（例如，健康顾问，政策领导，学生纪律管理人员）在整个美国和英国的10所大学;和生活经验的主观水平，通过采访19名学生幸存者在这两个国家。通过研究这个问题的国家，机构和个人层面，我能够在国家政策和那些试图报告大学性暴力的情绪反应之间建立联系。我的论文认为，美国和英国的大学通过优先考虑大学声誉而不是学生幸存者的福祉来应对学生披露的性暴力，这反映了他们运作的新自由主义政策议程。虽然主流叙事的立场，大学未能遵守政策的结果，这种再创伤的反应，我的论文表明，再创伤的反应幸存者是真正符合国家政策指导，并表明，目前的反应框架本身是站不住脚的。在我的样本中，大多数大学都遵守了国家指导，但这并没有阻止进一步伤害幸存者。事实上，这些大学经常以积极的态度出现，因为它们完成了政策建议，而正是这些大学在这些过程中给幸存者带来了创伤。这项奖学金将使我能够出版和传播这项研究，这不仅将进一步学术上了解这一紧迫问题，而且还改善了幸存者的机构反应。通过3篇同行评议的文章，我将发表我的发现，挑战现有的理解制度权力动态;我还将提交一份建议，为单独撰写的手稿沿着一个样本章节。为了加强我的研究网络，我将组织一个为期一天的研究研讨会，其中包括大学性暴力的主要学者。我还将组织2个知识交流研讨会与大学的反应人员，这将导致一个面向公众的报告与建议，以改善对幸存者的反应。最后，这项奖学金将为研究生涯奠定基础，因为我将提交一份为期3年的Leverhulme早期职业奖学金的提案。成功完成这些目标将使我成为一名新兴学者，为机构中的性暴力知识和实践做出贡献。