Student sexual harassment and misconduct survey released
Last survey conducted in 2019 resulted in sweeping changes.
In an email sent out to the MIT community on Apr. 2, Chancellor Melissa Nobles invited the MIT undergraduate and graduate student body to participate in the “Harassment and Misconduct Survey for Students.” Last conducted in 2019, this survey is anonymous and the Institute will only receive a summary of the results.
The Institute is conducting this survey because they are “committed to providing a working, learning, and living environment that is free from sexual harassment and misconduct.” Participation in the survey is entirely voluntary, and Nobles wrote that she hopes that all students answer the survey, regardless of their situation. She further wrote that student feedback “will help [the administration] better understand the MIT climate, assess [their] ongoing outreach and prevention efforts, and address possible gaps in services.”
Results from the 2019 survey have shaped the Institute’s response to handling harassment and misconduct. In the fall of 2019, former President L. Rafael Reif announced changes in response to the survey, including a “new policy for handling harassment and discrimination complaints against faculty and staff” that went into effect in February of 2020, and the creation of the Institute Discrimination and Harassment Response Office (IDHR).
The IDHR has seen a steady growth in reports regarding discrimination or harassment in both student and employee cases. In 2022 to 2023, 198 employee and 218 student cases were reported. 44 percent of the cases were classified as “Sex/Gender-Based Discrimination.” Most recently, the IDHR has been charged with “handling incidents related to campus tensions stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.”
Nobles stated that the survey is expected to take 10 to 25 minutes to complete. 50 awards valued at $500 each along with 700 TechCash prizes at $25 each will be awarded to random participants. Nobles urged those who have difficulty accessing the survey or have questions to contact mitcommunitysurvey@mit.edu.