Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Gregory Koehle

Abstract

In the United States, sexual assaults are becoming increasingly prevalent on college campuses. This study addressed the problem of increasing sexual assaults at a Northeastern university in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the risk factors that led to sexual assault victimization on a college campus through the students', campus police officers', and counselors' perspectives. This study incorporated Cohen and Felson's theoretical framework of the routine activity theory. The focus of the study was on perceptions of (a) risk factors that motivate offenders to commit sexual assault in a university setting, (b) risk factors that contribute to capable guardianship for incidents involving sexual assaults in a university setting, and (c) risk factors that contribute to a victim being a suitable target for sexual assault in a university setting. The overall research design was a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study. This approach led to an understanding of the experiences, perceptions, and opinions of the 11 students, 3 campus police officers, and 2 counselors. Snowball and convenience sampling was used to recruit participants. The data collection methods consisted of email interviews through which participants were asked open-ended questions. The collected data were then interpreted using thematic analysis. Through the experiences of the participants, this study illustrated that there are multiple risk factors associated to campus sexual assault, including drugs and alcohol being the top risk factor. The results of the study will be shared with university administrators, policy makers, and law enforcement agencies to implement positive social change by increasing awareness, encouraging the community to support targets/victims, and helping universities change their policies regarding sexual assaults.

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