Sexual Assault Prevalence and Community College Students

Challenges and Promising Practices

Bibliographic Data

ID21650488
AuthorsSimon J Potter (0000-0001-8104-5777, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA, corresponding author), Nicole Fox (0000-0002-3381-716X, California State University Sacramento, CA, USA), Delilah Smith (University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA), Nora A Draper (0000-0003-0204-3031, University of New Hampshire), Nora Draper (University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA), Elizabeth A Moschella (0000-0001-8874-7691, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA), Mary M Moynihan (University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA)
Year2020
Volume47
Issue1_suppl
Pages7S-16S
Publication date2020-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Education & Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1090-1981 • E-ISSN: 1552-6127
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1090198120910988
PMID32250186
OpenAlexW3014726272
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited18

Recently, much research has been dedicated to understanding how to prevent and address the aftermath of sexual assault (SA) on traditional 4-year college and university campuses in the United States. However, less scholarly attention has been paid to 2-year institutions, commonly known as community colleges. This review illuminates the different situational contexts faced by community college students, compared with students at 4-year colleges. These differences are shaped by community college characteristics, student demographics, and geographic location of their students. Community colleges enroll a higher percentage of women, first-generation students, and low-income students than 4-year colleges. Furthermore, community colleges are academic homes to the most racially and ethnically diverse student population, with higher numbers of African Americans, Latinos, immigrants, and nonnative English speakers. These populations (e.g., women, racial minorities, first-generation, low-income) are at a greater risk for SA; yet, 2-year institutions have less funding and resources available to address SA on their campuses. Thus, this article reviews the problem of campus SA on community colleges and highlights the challenges that 2-year institutions face in comparison with those that 4-year institutions face when implementing SA prevention and response strategies. Then, a case study of a 3-year project on one nonresidential and seven community colleges is presented, which illustrates how 2-year institutions can forge relationships with community professionals to address SA on their campuses

Community college · Demographics · Ethnic group · Ethnically diverse · Immigration · Medical education · Political science · Population · Situational ethics · Sociology · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Demography · Medicine · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Social Psychology · Workplace Violence and Bullying