Campus Sexual Culture
A "Paper to Practice" Series
Campus sexual culture varies across institutes of higher education, and when in states of institutional repair instead of courage, causes harm to survivors. In this season, we take a thorough look into campus sexual culture and the effects it has, as well as what we can do to create a more positive and supportive environment for survivors.
Dr. Sarah Prior discusses the understanding IHE’s and its students have on their own campus sexual culture, as well as what we can do to combat the neoliberal perceptions IHE’s in states of repair perpetuate.
Episode 1:
What is Campus Sexual Culture?
Dr. Sarah Prior defines campus sexual culture as well as institutional repair and institutional courage while shedding light on the current state of college campuses, and what practices we can implement to create a safer environment for survivors.
Episode 2:
Cultural Effects on Campus Sexual Violence
Dr. Sarah Prior and Dr. Megan Maas discuss the similarities and differences between the campus sexual cultures in the U.S. and Ireland, as well as their work and partnership with the University of Galway’s program, Active*Consent.
Series Materials
“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.”
For Students: Safer Steps for K-12 & College
Students deserve to feel safer on campus. Learn how to recognize risks, set boundaries, and take steps that support your safety and well-being.
Serving Trans and Non-Binary 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.”
How to Support LGBTQ+ Victims and Survivors of Sexual Violence
“Whether you are part of the LGBTQ community or not, it remains vital to provide a safe and empathetic space for those whose paths may diverge from your own.”
Findings from Michigan Community Sexual Violence Prevention Assessment
The findings of this assessment are about the experiences of Black, Native, LGBTQ+, and Disability communities related to four key community and societal level protective factors determined and defined by collaborators: (1) Community connectedness, (2) Economic supports, (3) Community safety, and (4) Bodily Autonomy.
Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
This guide overviews child sexual abuse and grooming, discusses the lasting effects on adult survivors, explains how adult survivors can navigate healthy relationships after childhood sexual abuse, and talks about how to support adult survivors.
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.
Lessons on Serving Male Survivors through SASP:
The following research articles were referenced in the series:
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/
Active*Consent. (2021). Sexual Experiences Survey 2020: Sexual Violence and Harassment Experiences in National Survey of Higher Education Institutions.
Active*Consent. The Kinds of Sex You Might Have at College.
Active*Consent. Active Consent Resource List for Higher Education Institutions.
Preventing Sexual Assault Together: The Power of Community Engagement
This podcast is a conversation with Kelly Mays and Sara McGirr about the process used and findings from an equity focused sexual assault community assessment process in Michigan. They discussed practical lessons and tools that can be used to increase community engagement, build authenticity, and strengthen trust and connections
Promoting Sexual Assault Healing Services to Men
This webinar from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and Just Detention International (JDI) suggests how you can communicate about sexual violence as something that men experience, and about what services are available at your sexual program for men who are survivors.
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is partnering with MenHealing to offer a six-session webinar series for community-based victim service organizations on working with men who are survivors of sexual violence.
Log in or create an account at MiVAN.org to watch the following trainings:
Creating a Shared Understanding of Sexual Violence
In this course, you’ll learn more about what sexual violence means, how prevalent it is, and how it impacts survivors, so that we can meet survivors where they are with consistent terminology, information, and services.
Social Norms, Rape Culture, and the Glorification of Violence
In this course, you will learn about how attitudes and beliefs contribute to social norms like rape culture, what rape culture means, and how it impacts survivors. We will discuss how other social norms around gender and sexuality can condone and uphold violence. And finally, we will discuss what we can do to help end rape culture.
Serving Survivors of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence
Attendees will learn about the dynamics and prevalence of IPSV, understand the unique needs of IPSV survivors, recognize best practices for responding to IPSV survivors, identify ways to screen for IPSV.
Meet the Experts
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.
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.