Texas A&M President: AAU Survey Helps Combat Sexual Assault

Texas A&M University, one of 60 preeminent research universities in the United States that make up the membership of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), was part of the 27 member universities that participated in the AAU Campus Climate Survey released today. The survey focused on the climate of sexual assault and misconduct on college campuses.

“Texas A&M is proud of our association with the AAU and participation in the climate survey,” said President Michael K. Young. “The survey shows that while we have areas that need our attention, we have improved as an institution over the years and in some instances the data shows that we are better than the national norms and that our programs and processes in place are having a positive effect. However, we recognize that even one incident is one too many and this type of behavior is not in line with what our Aggie values of integrity, loyalty, respect and selfless service represent.”

Texas A&M recently launched a campaign against sexual assault and violence aimed at bystander intervention called “Step In. Stand Up.” It encourages all members of the community to step in as active participants to reduce the incidence of sexual assault on campus and stand up against sexual violence by starting courageous conversation and sharing information. The campaign was not associated with the AAU Climate Survey and is an independent effort by Texas A&M. More information can be found at stepinstandup.tamu.edu.

“It’s important to me, both personally and professionally, that we address this issue head on across campus while we share information with families, policymakers and taxpayers in the most transparent and thorough manner possible,” said Young. “We have excellent processes in place for reporting and dealing with incidents of assault, but reporting alone is insufficient. As Aggies, it’s imperative we all work together to eliminate this intolerable behavior. The climate survey data are critically important as we focus our resources moving forward.”