Data from the 2019 AAU Campus Climate Survey indicate that approximately 27% of Black undergraduate women experienced sexual assault or touching that involved physical force or the inability to consent. In addition, Black undergraduate women are disproportionately affected by two types of sexual misconduct victimization: intimate partner violence (IPV) and stalking.
Black Women in Academia (BWA) – Supporting, Healing, and Empowering is a University of Pittsburgh SEED Project-funded study designed to better understand the challenges faced by Black undergraduate women who experience sexual misconduct victimization (sexual assault, IPV, stalking, and sexual harassment), including possible barriers to utilizing relevant campus resources.
A mixed methods approach will be used to achieve this goal:
- a scoping literature review of prevention programs and strategies,
- interviews with Black undergraduate women about their experiences with sexual misconduct victimization,
- small group discussions with members of Black student organizations, and
- a faculty/staff survey designed to assess prior sexual misconduct prevention training, additional prevention training needs, and knowledge of resources for students who experience sexual misconduct victimization.
Data gathered will help inform the improvement of existing services and aid in the development of new sexual misconduct prevention strategies tailored to the unique needs of Black undergraduate women at Pitt.
Participate
Faculty and Staff
Any Pitt faculty or staff who interacts with students is invited to share their opinions about sexual misconduct prevention and training. The online survey includes questions about respondents’
- awareness of campus and local resources and prevention programs available for students who experience dating or sexual violence
- recommendations for dating and sexual violence prevention training for campus faculty and staff.
Compensation in the form of a $30.00 Amazon gift card will be provided for study completion. At this time we have paused data collection for the faculty and staff survey. Please email us if you are interested in future participation opportunities, and we will be sure to send you updates.
Students
Are you an undergraduate student at Pitt who identities as both female and Black/African American? If so, you are invited to participate in a research study about dating and sexual relationships. Participation involves one short survey and one 60-90-minute virtual interview. Participants may or may not have experience with sexual misconduct. Compensation in the form of a $50 Amazon gift card will be provided. Please email us if you are interested in scheduling an interview for Fall 2021.
Contact
For more information about the study or to participate, please email bwa@pitt.edu.
Research Group
- Lynissa Renee Stokes, PhD - Principal Investigator
- Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD, FSAHM - Co-investigator
- Ashley V. Hill, DrPH, MPH - Co-investigator
- Rosemary Iwuanyanwu - Research Coordinator
- Alana Fields, PhD - Qualitative Interviewer and Analyst
- Phoebe Balascio - Graduate Student Research Assistant
- Alyssa Lisle, MSW - Graduate Student Research Assistant
- Jordan Pollard, MSW - Graduate Student Research Assistant