Background
In Spring 2025, SUNY Oswego students and employees participated in the SUNY System’s bi-annual Sexual Violence Prevalence Survey (SVP) Survey. The goal of this online survey is to gather information about the rate of incidents of sexual violence and about the knowledge of policies and resources among students and employees.
Instrument & Implementation: Online survey developed by SUNY and administered to all SUNY students, faculty, and staff.
Introduction
In October 2014, the SUNY Board of Trustees (BOT) enacted a policy on sexual and interpersonal violence. Among other things, that policy requires that “Beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year, each State University of New York State operated and community college will conduct a uniform climate survey that ascertains student experience with and knowledge of reporting and college adjudicatory processes for sexual harassment, including sexual violence, and other related crimes.” Soon after, NYS Education Law 129-B was signed into legislation. Per NYS Education Law 129-B, the survey is directed to specifically address:
- the Title IX Coordinator's role
- campus policies and procedures addressing sexual assault
- how and where to report sexual violence as a victim/survivor or witness
- the availability of resources on and off campus, such as counseling, health, and academic assistance
- the prevalence of victimization and perpetration of sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking on and off campus during a set time period
- bystander attitudes and behavior
- whether reporting individuals disclosed to the college/university and/or police, and reasons why they did or did not report
- the general awareness of the difference, if any, between the institution's policies and the penal law
- the general awareness of the definition of affirmative consent
Per SUNY BOT policy and NYS Education Law 129-B, each SUNY campus administers a uniform Sexual Violence Prevalence (SVP) survey to students and employees over the age of 18, excluding high school students and incarcerated individuals, at least every other year. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. The goal of the SVP survey is to evaluate the knowledge and experience of students and employees at SUNY campuses in regard to sexual harassment and violence. Such climate assessments afford institutions the opportunity to better understand their campus and to make informed decisions when it comes to providing a safe and informed educational environment. This summary and the supporting reports present the overall, unweighted results of the employee version of the Spring 2025 and Spring 2023 administrations of the SVP survey.
Employee Survey
Key Indicators: The table below shows the percent of Oswego employee responses on key indicators for the 2023 and 2025 survey administrations, along with the percentage-point differences between them.
SUNY Oswego SVP Employee Key Indicators (2023 vs. 2025)
| Category & Indicator | 2023 (%) | 2025 (%) | Point Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Disclosure | |||
Received disclosure of unwanted sexual experience Percent of employees indicating student disclosure of an unwanted sexual experience (% indicating 'Yes' to question 23) | 15.0% | 18.8% | +3.8 |
Reported student disclosure via formal process Percent of employees reporting student disclosure via a formal process (% indicating 'Yes' to question 24) | 77.1% | 90.5% | +13.4 |
| Employee Experience | |||
| Experienced unwanted sexual comment | 6.3% | 9.9% | +3.6 |
| Experienced unwanted sexually suggestive digital communication | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.0 |
| Took action after the experience | 47.1% | 57.7% | +10.6 |
| Behavior/Life changed because of the experience | 75.0% | 100.0% | +25.0 |
| Knowledge of Student Reporting | |||
| Know how to advise a student on where to get help | 92.2% | 91.5% | -0.7 |
| Understand what happens when a student reports | 76.5% | 76.5% | 0.0 |
| Peer Willingness to Help (Likely/Very Likely) | |||
| Peer would call for help if hearing a neighbor yelling | 85.5% | 87.6% | +2.1 |
| Peer would talk to a student suspected of being in an abusive relationship | 67.3% | 67.9% | +0.6 |
| Peer would get resources for a friend who was assaulted | 86.5% | 90.5% | +4.0 |
| Peer would tell authorities despite pressure to stay silent | 77.6% | 78.9% | +1.3 |
Key Takeaways from the Data
- Reporting Increase: There was a significant 13.4 point increase in employees reporting student disclosures through formal processes.
- Knowledge Stability: Staff confidence in advising students remained very high at 91.5%.
- Peer Intervention: Employees generally have high trust in their peers to intervene, particularly in getting resources for friends (+4.0 point increase).
Response Rates: In 2025, 1,236 Oswego employees were invited to participate in the SVP, of whom 304 responded. This response rate of 24.6% is lower than the response rate of 27.1% for 2023. The table below shows the SVP employee response rates across the SUNY System, broken out by four-year campuses and two-year campuses and by a modified sub-sector grouping. In this analysis, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is included in Technology Colleges. The remaining community colleges are categorized as small, medium, or large based on a periodic review of matriculated enrollment: small campuses enroll 1,500 or fewer students, medium campuses enroll between 1,500 and 4,000, and large campuses enroll more than 4,000 students.
| Campus Group / Sector | 2023 Response Rate (%) | 2025 Response Rate (%) | Point Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUNY Oswego (Local) | 27.1% | 24.6% | -2.5 |
| SUNY Total (System-wide) | 25.9% | 18.1% | -7.8 |
| 4-Year Campuses | 26.5% | 17.5% | -9.0 |
| Research University Centers | 26.2% | 16.0% | -10.2 |
| Other Research/Doctoral Institutions | 13.3% | 22.5% | -9.2 |
| Comprehensive Colleges | 21.9% | 28.7% | -6.8 |
| Technology Colleges | 24.3% | 30.7% | -6.4 |
| 2-Year Campuses | 24.2% | 19.9% | -4.3 |
| Small 2-Year Campuses | 25.5% | 29.3% | -3.8 |
| Medium 2-Year Campuses | 28.3% | 22.9% | -5.4 |
| Large 2-Year Campuses | 17.0% | 20.9% | -3.9 |
Summary of Response Rates
- Oswego Participation: Oswego’s response rate decreased slightly from 27.1% in 2023 to 24.6% in 2025, but it remains significantly higher than the overall SUNY average (18.1%).
- System Trend: There was a general downward trend in response rates across almost all SUNY sectors between 2023 and 2025, with the largest drop seen in Research University Centers (-10.2 points).
Student Survey
Key Indicators: The table below shows the percent of Oswego student responses on key indicators for both the 2023 and 2025 survey administrations, along with the percentage-point differences between them.
| Category & Metric | 2023 (%) | 2025 (%) | Pt. Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Experience | |||
| Sexual Harassment (Any experience in Q18) | 48.40% | 33.40% | -15 |
| Sexual Assault (Attempted/Completed Q19a-d) | 27.20% | 19.10% | -8.1 |
| Rape (Completed Q19c or 19d) | 9.90% | 6.50% | -3.4 |
| Stalking (Yes to Q32) | 16.30% | 10.20% | -6.1 |
| Reporting | |||
| Formal Complaint (Yes to Q25) | 36.80% | 29.70% | -7.1 |
| Knowledge of Policies & Resources | |||
| Knowledge of Sexual Assault Policies (Q7) | 78.90% | 89.30% | +10.4 |
| Knowledge of how to find Title IX Coordinator (Q8) | 67.20% | 73.90% | +6.7 |
| Knowledge of How to Report | |||
| Sexual Assault (Q10a) | 67.50% | 78.80% | +11.3 |
| Sexual Harassment (Q10b) | 63.40% | 79.10% | +15.7 |
| Domestic/Dating Violence (Q10c) | 54.20% | 65.80% | +11.6 |
| Stalking (Q10d) | 49.40% | 61.00% | +11.6 |
| Peer Readiness (Very Likely/Likely) | |||
| Express discomfort regarding body jokes (Q40a) | 41.90% | 45.00% | +3.1 |
| Call for help if neighbor is calling (Q40b) | 51.90% | 56.60% | +4.7 |
| Get help/resources for assaulted friend (Q40c) | 70.80% | 75.90% | +5.1 |
| Confront friend about non-consensual sex (Q40d) | 54.10% | 60.80% | +6.7 |
| Report to RA/Authority despite peer pressure (Q40e) | 47.40% | 51.50% | +4.1 |
Summary of Major Trends
Decrease in Victimization: There is a significant downward trend in reported experiences of sexual harassment (-15 points) and stalking (-6.1 points). Increase in Knowledge: Awareness of campus policies, Title IX contact info, and reporting procedures for all categories saw double-digit growth in several areas. Reporting Gap: While knowledge of how to report increased, the percentage of victims who actually filed a formal complaint decreased by 7.1 points. Peer Intervention: Students generally feel more confident that their peers would intervene or seek help in 2025 than they did in 2023.
SVP Student Response Rates by 4-Year/2-Year and Sub-Sector:
| 4-Year/2-Year and Sub-Sector | 2023 Rate | 2025 Rate | Pt. Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUNY Total | 6.4% | 4.9% | -1.5 |
| 4-Year Campuses | 6.5% | 5.0% | -1.5 |
| Research University Centers | 5.7% | 4.1% | -1.6 |
| Other Research/Doctoral | 11.3% | 7.3% | -4.0 |
| Comprehensive Colleges | 7.2% | 5.8% | -1.4 |
| Technology Colleges | 6.1% | 5.1% | -1.0 |
| 2-Year Campuses | 6.3% | 4.9% | -1.4 |
| Small 2-Year | 8.1% | 6.2% | -1.9 |
| Medium 2-Year | 7.0% | 6.1% | -0.9 |
| Large 2-Year | 5.6% | 4.1% | -1.5 |
Response Rates
In 2025, 6,297 Oswego students were invited to participate in the SVP, of whom 384 responded. The resulting response rate of 6.1% is lower than the response rate of 6.6% recorded in 2023. The table below shows the SVP student response rates across the SUNY System, broken out by four-year campuses and two-years campuses and by a modified sub-sector grouping. In this analysis, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is included in Technology Colleges. The remaining community colleges are categorized as small, medium, or large based on a periodic review of matriculated enrollment: small campuses enroll 1,500 or fewer students, medium campuses enroll between 1,500 and 4,000, and large campuses enroll more than 4,000 students.
The next Climate Survey will be administered in the Spring Semester of 2027.
For questions about this report and anything related to Title IX and intersecting laws, contact Lisa Evaneski, Title IX Coordinator, at [email protected].
