The results of the 2015 Campus Attitudes Toward Safety survey pointed out to UK officials that there are victims on this campus lacking proper care and attention from our safety resources.

What’s worse is that it revealed the poor attention students give to each other’s safety and their reluctance to prevent more victims of sexual assault, physical abuse and other crimes happening on and off campus.

Some students question the necessity of the mandatory survey, which must be completed before registering for classes, but the responses of the entire university likely paint an accurate picture of the campus. While it might be uncomfortable to do the survey, honest responses and results are essential to increasing safety on campus.

Administrators – who do not see firsthand what happens in bars, dorm rooms or off-campus parties – can use this survey to make impactful changes to campus safety.

“As we learn more about the experiences of our students, we will be able to focus efforts on the specific needs of our campus community,” Director of the Violence Intervention and Prevention Center Rhonda Henry wrote in an email to the Kentucky Kernel. “No matter how strong our prevention efforts are, there is always room to enhance and improve. Our hope is that this data will allow us to recognize needs, gaps and opportunities to serve our students better.”

According to the survey, more than 20 percent of students had incorrect knowledge on how to report a sexual assault, and 52 percent felt they would face retaliation for reporting. Both of these factors contribute to the underreporting of assault on campus and can be corrected by initiatives of the administration and VIP Center to educate students on how to stay safe and be an active bystander.

“We work closely with offices such as the Center for Research on Violence Against Women, our Title IX coordinator and investigators, the Office of Student Conduct, UK Legal, UKPD and the President’s Office to provide a ‘front line’ perspective to various campus initiatives,” Henry said. “Because of our work with survivors, we believe we bring a unique perspective to broader policy discussions. We are fortunate to have strong partnerships with staff in these various offices … to best serve survivors on our campus.”

Henry said part of the education is for survivors, but a number of their efforts also go toward informing students about consent, so that they will not pressure or forcibly assault other students. Students can also do a better job looking out for each other when they notice suspicious activity.

The survey said that between 8 and 17 percent of students observed risky behavior regarding sex, such as sneaking drugs or alcohol into drinks, physical abuse, an inebriated person being led away for sex, and confessions of making someone have sex with them.

Henry said the 5-year process of evaluating this data could show trends that paint a more accurate picture of the underreported assault rate, and it could show improvements to the safety climate when issues that are propagated because of fear and shame are brought to the light.

“I think it communicates that we are all in this together,” President Capilouto wrote in an email to the Kernel. “This survey, in sum, places a marker in the sand — it says we are a community that values safety and inclusion. It is part of who we are. It is a value we cherish, but one that we recognize we can lose sight of it we aren’t focused and committed every day.”