The Alberta Post-Secondary Gender-Based Violence Survey

Resources for students

Many of us U of A students recently had an email show up in our inboxes - the Alberta Post-Secondary Gender-Based Violence Survey. In order to find out more about what this is and why we should consider completing it, I reached out to Deb Eerkes, Sexual Violence Response Coordinator here at the U of A.

What is this survey, and why is it being sent out now?

This is a province-wide survey led by the provincial government, with all post-secondary institutions in Alberta implementing it on their campuses. All important information about this survey is on the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response page, with a few things to note about how the survey is being conducted:

• All students will be invited to participate beginning January 30, 2023. You will receive an email from noreply@legeropinion.co to your ualberta inbox with the survey link. 
• Leger is distributing the survey, collecting and synthesizing responses, and reporting on the results on behalf of the Government of Alberta. 
• Your participation is completely voluntary and anonymous. There will be no personal information tied to your responses, and neither Leger nor the University of Alberta will receive any personally identifiable data through the survey. 
• Any reports based on this survey will use only group data and will not identify any individual as being affiliated with this project. 
• If you need support, the U of A Sexual Assault Centre services are free of charge and are available to people of all genders, sexualities and backgrounds. 

What topics will this survey cover?

This survey will cover a number of topics:

• Attitudes and beliefs about gender-based violence and consent
• Perceptions of the campus environment regarding gender-based violence
• Knowledge of campus resources and policies related to sexual and gender-based violence 
• Experiences of gender-based violence, including sexual violence. As part of the survey, questions will be asked of  past experiences of sexual and gender-based violence, but will not be asked to provide specific examples or details.

Respondents can opt out of the survey at any time; none of the questions are mandatory. I’d like to reiterate that responses are completely anonymous, and no information will ever be collected that will link respondents and responses.

Why should students participate in this survey?

The last time that a comprehensive survey like this was conducted was in 2001, which is before some current students were even born. It’s important for us to get some updated data and have a snapshot in time of what is happening right now on post-secondary campuses across Alberta. Once the survey is complete across the province, the university will receive two things:

1. Reports on the student awareness of the climate and services at the U of A and on campuses around Alberta
2. The anonymized data from the U of A.

What is the U of A hoping to learn from this survey?

My position as the Sexual Violence Response Coordinator is a new one at the university. In the past, the U of A has not had the structure in place to coordinate high-level, strategic measures for prevention and response across the university. 

We have three big questions about how the topic relates to the U of A specifically:

1. Do U of A students understand consent?
2. Do U of A students know what constitutes sexual and gender-based violence?
3. Do U of A students know where to seek help?

This survey is part of a provincial government directive to address sexual and gender-based violence on university campuses. Part one was updating and modernizing student policies and procedures; this is part two.

How will this inform what happens at the university?

The new policies here at the U of A are preventative as well as responsive.

• The focus of the new policy is providing support and options for survivors (giving them a voice and choice). 
• Making a complaint is only one of those options, and making a complaint is not required in order to receive support or seek some of the other options.
• Those who experience sexual and gender-based violence are never required to make a complaint or participate in an investigation/complaint process, but the option is available should they choose to. Where the university initiates a process, they may be invited to provide information, but there is no requirement to participate.
• There are no trial-like procedures. 
• The U of A is not the police and does not act on behalf of law enforcement,  but we can help connect a survivor to the police if they choose to report a crime. Our role is to maintain a supportive and vibrant learning environment, support those who have been affected by SGBV and ensure that they have equitable access to their campus life.

Are there any final words you’d like to add?

It takes the entire community to prevent sexual and gender-based violence, but in order for that to happen, we need to reframe how we understand it. Sexual violence is not just individual incidents that can be punished away, but the result of social conditions that perpetuate it. 

• Small steps, like responding to racist, sexist, or transphobic comments make a real difference.
• Supporting and believing survivors reminds them that they are not alone.
• And community efforts, like participating in this survey, all contribute to the work of ending gender-based violence.

As a token of gratitude for your time and effort in completing this important survey, the university is providing ten $100 prepaid VISA cards to be distributed in a draw for those who complete the survey. The survey will contain a link where you can choose to enter the draw for one of those cards. If you choose to enter the draw, your name and email address will not be tied to your survey responses in any way. Details on this are here.