Coalition wants students to make their voices heard

University of Miami students are urged to take the President’s Coalition on Sexual Violence Prevention and Education survey to fight sexual violence on campus.
University of Miami students are urged to take the President’s Coalition on Sexual Violence Prevention and Education survey to fight sexual violence on campus.

Do you want to make the University of Miami a safer campus? The President’s Coalition on Sexual Violence Prevention and Education, a group made up of more than 30 University faculty members, administrators, and student ambassadors are calling on students to take a survey that will help provide information to improve campus safety. 

Sophomore Tej Bhasin is a student ambassador and programming chair for It’s On Us, a peer-led program aimed at educating students about the University’s sexual misconduct policies, reporting options, and procedures. The program also tries to increase awareness on how to prevent or intervene in high-risk situations, and it fosters a safer environment, where everyone can thrive.

It's On Us student ambassador Tej Bhasin
Tej Bhasin, It's On Us student ambassador and programming chair

Bhasin, a double major in finance and sports administration, has dedicated his time by leading student presentations and by attending various events on the Coral Gables campus in an effort to spread knowledge of what sexual violence is and how to combat it.

“It’s important for students to take this survey, because it gives us an honest representation of how the students feel about this topic that affects others,” Bhasin said. “The only way to get that honest representation is to increase the sample size.”

Since summer 2014, the President’s Coalition on Sexual Violence Prevention and Education has worked meticulously to end sexual violence on campus. Led by the University’s Title IX office, the goal of the survey is to better understand student experiences with sexual violence, and the accessibility of prevention and awareness programs and resources.

Ashley Falcon, assistant professor of public health and co-chair of the coalition, wants students to know how necessary their responses are to further the Title IX office’s research and best practices.

“The survey collects information about students’ experiences with sexual violence while at UM, their familiarity with and likelihood of using support services, and their perceptions of the usefulness of trainings they have received,” Falcon said. “It helps us to understand how we’re doing in addressing this issue and where we should be focusing our attention.” 

Responses are confidential and students will not have to provide any identifying information.

“We want students to know that there is no wrong answer,” Bhasin said about the survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete. “It’s a taboo topic, but it’s something students need to be informed about.”