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Study: Many College Students Have Been Harassed

Few Students Report Harassment To Schools

POSTED: 3:17 pm EST January 24, 2006
UPDATED: 5:48 pm EST January 24, 2006

Nearly two-thirds of college students have experienced sexual harassment at some point during college, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation.

Sixty-two percent of undergraduate students said that they have encountered some type of sexual harassment, and nearly one-third of students said that the harassment was physical -- such as being touched, grabbed or pinched, the study found.

"Most students are experiencing non-contact forms of sexual harassment -- jokes, gestures, remarks, homophobic name-calling, flashing and mooning are examples of that," AAUW Director of Research Elena Silva said.

Only 7 percent of the students said that they reported the sexual harassment to a faculty member or other college employee.

"Female students are particularly troubled by sexual harassment. They are upset, embarrassed, angered and scared by these experiences. But, it's rare that they actually report harassment to a college official," AAUW President Barbara O'Connor said.

The study was conducted for a three-week period in May 2005, and 2,036 undergraduates ages 18 to 24 were polled.

The foundation announced a harassment program at 11 colleges in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas.

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