Campus Sexual Culture

1. What is Sexual Violence [3 page PDF]: “Here we talk about sexual violence as defined by women. Though, sexual violence happens to men and children, the majority of victims of sexual violence are women. To undo violence against men and children, the first step is to undo violence against women. That’s why we talk about sexual violence against women from a woman’s perspective.”
2. Sexual Assault Prevention, Support, and Healing: “April marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Many of us know the anecdote of people in a river. Some offer support for the people to climb out while others go up river to find and prevent the root cause. It’s an important story about the necessity of both support and prevention. Today, we would like to add consideration for long-term support and promotion of healing in those who we can help climb from the river. The resources below focus on those key advocacy elements regarding sexual assault: Prevention, Support, and Healing.”
3. Serving Trans and Non-Binary Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence [online toolkit]: “Despite the fact that people who identify as transgender or non-binary experience violence and harassment in every aspect of life at astoundingly high rates (NCTE, 2016), there are still significant gaps in services (Seelman, 2015) for these survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This Special Collection supports advocates and agencies seeking to build their capacity to provide accessible and inclusive services to trans and non-binary survivors.
4. Staying Safe on Campus [online article]: “Sexual violence can happen to anyone, and it’s not the only crime that can occur on a college campus. College students have the opportunity to look out for their friends, speak up about sexual violence, and take steps to increase personal safety.”
5. Lessons on Serving Male Survivors through SASP: “According to the report, 10.9% of victims served in 2017 whose gender was known identified as male. To learn more about how programs provide services to men, we identified several programs that reported higher-than-average rates of male survivors served with this funding stream. Out of these programs, we then identified centers that mostly served adults. Finally, we identified centers with differing service areas based on other reported demographic information including race, disability, and immigration status.”
6. National Sexual Violence Resource Center: “NSVRC provides research & tools to advocates working on the frontlines to end sexual harassment, assault, and abuse with the understanding that ending sexual violence also means ending racism, sexism, and all forms of oppression.”

Prior, Sarah, and Brooke De Heer. “Everyday terrorism: Campus sexual violence and the neoliberal university.” Sociology Compass, vol. 15, no. 9, 2 Aug. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12915.

Prior, Sarah, and Brooke De Heer. Campus Sexual Violence: A State of Institutionalized Sexual Terrorism , 3 Aug. 2022, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003057734.

Prior, Sarah, et al. College Students’ Perceptions of Hookup Culture through a Social Ecological Lens, vol. 29, no. 6, 3 June 2025, pp. 2593–2616, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-025-10383-8.
Rainn. (2025, August 28). Prevention Tips for Students. https://rainn.org/get-informed/prevention/prevention-tips-for-students/

From Betrayal to Repair: Is MSU moving toward Institutional Courage? https://mivan.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/From-Betrayal-to-Repair-VAW.pdf

Active*Consent. (2021). Sexual Experiences Survey 2020: Sexual Violence and Harassment Experiences in National Survey of Higher Education Institutions. https://www.consenthub.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Sexual-Experiences-Survey-2020.pdf

Active*Consent. The Kinds of Sex You Might Have at College. https://www.consenthub.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/zine-1.pdf

Active*Consent. Active Consent Resource List for Higher Education Institutions. https://www.consenthub.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/DIGITAL-HEI-Resource-List-October-2022-1.pdf

Dr. Sarah Prior

Sarah Prior is an Associate Professor of Sociology. Her research focuses on issues of gender based violence broadly with emphasis in areas of campus sexual violence, sexuality, gender, hookup culture, critical youth studies, and sexual media including pornography use by young people and it’s impact on sexual expectations. Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University. She holds a Master’s in Applied Sociology and Master’s Certificate in Women’s & Gender Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University’s School of Social Transformation.

Dr. Megan Maas

Megan Maas, PhD, is an associate professor in Human Development & Family Studies. Her work sits at the intersection of sexual violence prevention and sexual health promotion. She received her PhD in 2016 from The Pennsylvania State University as a pre-doctoral fellow funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her award-winning research, recognized by the American Psychological Association, focuses on adolescent sexual socialization, with an emphasis on the bi-directional role that social media, sexting, and online pornography play in the development of attitudes and behavior related to sexuality and gender.