Abstract
Using quantitative methods, this research analyzes how college students in Connecticut who have experienced sexual violence evaluate and navigate campus resources. Survey respondents disclosed a greater use of non-punitive and non-institutionalized resources, with disclosure to friends as the most accessed resource. Despite this, respondents valued their college/university’s confidential support resources just as much. Students were also more likely to be aware of and value their college/university’s confidential support resource when housed on campus in the form of a university-specific confidential resource center rather than off-campus in the form of a state-governed memorandum of understanding. These findings expose a potential overburdening of peers as sources of support, where non-punitive, campus-sponsored confidential resources are both valued and needed. Furthermore, my research found that barriers to accessing resources were most pronounced for punitive resources, but were still evident among non-punitive, institutionalized resources. Students disclosed witnessing and experiencing conflicting university agendas that invalidated their experiences of alleged violence and attempts at seeking recourse. The array of resources available to students, all of which face differing levels of awareness and access, speaks to the multiple institutions that govern campus sexual violence and the ways their organizational frames and capabilities vary.