Date of Award

Summer 2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology & Criminal Justice

Committee Director

Dianne C. Carmody

Committee Member

Ingrid P. Whitaker

Committee Member

Garland White

Abstract

According to National Sexual Violence Resource Center (2015), 20% to 25% of college women experience a completed or attempted rape victimization during their college career, but less than 5% of college women file a report with law enforcement (Fisher, Cullen, and Turner 2000). Prior literature indicates that student characteristics/background, alcohol use, and affiliation with Greek life influence students’ chances of being sexually assaulted as well as victim decisions to report. Current research on campus sexual assault victimization and students’ decisions to report has neglected Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) but seem to show that minorities are less likely to report sexual assaults to police or college officials.

This thesis addresses this gap by examining sexual assault reporting on HBCU campuses. Examining survey data provided by 382 female victims of attempted/completed forced sexual assault on HBCU campuses (Krebs, et.al., 2011), the relationship between victim participation in Greek and/or sports teams, previous sexual assault victimization prior to college, and Greek membership for the offender and victim reporting behaviors are examined. Findings and implications are discussed. By examining sexual assault on HBCU campuses, this study may provide a better understanding of the factors that influence a student’s decision to report on an HBCU campus.

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DOI

10.25777/smp4-vj13

ISBN

9780438455603

ORCID

0000-0002-5253-2661

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