The effort to create awareness and learn more about sexual misconduct on campus is being expanded to include a campuswide student survey.
Following up on the successful student-led "It's On Us" campaign that brought Vice President Joe Biden to campus in April, the survey will be conducted through Nov. 22.
"We are studying issues of sexual misconduct on our campus because we can't address the issue properly until we really know what's happening," said Renée Romano, the vice chancellor for student affairs.
Students will respond anonymously to the survey and be asked to share their opinions and experiences concerning the campus atmosphere as it pertains to sexual violence, sexual- or gender-based harassment, stalking and intimate partner violence.
"Sexual misconduct is something that can interfere with a student's academic performance and emotional or physical well-being, so it's the university's responsibility to help address it," Romano said. "This will help us make decisions in the future to better serve and protect our students."
The survey, titled "It's On Us – Your Voice Matters," takes around a half-hour to complete.
In addition to the questions, the survey includes information on the university's services for victims and reporters of sexual violence. Information for victim services and instructions for how to report complaints are available for students, faculty members and staff at wecare.illinois.edu.
Romano said students involved in the initial It's On Us campaign also will be leading the effort to encourage respondents. The results of the survey will be released at a later date.
"We're trying to get the message to our students that this confidential survey is their opportunity to help us address the issue," she said.