Listening to Student Activists: Why This Study Matters
Across campuses, student activists have been on the front lines of reshaping how institutions respond to sexual and relationship violence. Yet, until recently, their experiences, challenges, and needs were rarely captured in a systematic way. SAFER’s study of student activists fills this gap, offering a comprehensive look at how students are organizing, what support they receive, and what must change to create safer learning environments.
This study is the first in a series of deep dives into student-driven prevention efforts. It centers the voices of those pushing their schools to move beyond reactive crisis management toward proactive, survivor-centered prevention and accountability.
How the Study Was Conducted
The research team designed the study to reach a broad cross-section of student activists engaged in campus safety and violence prevention efforts. Participants included students from diverse regions, institutional types, and organizing traditions. Through surveys and qualitative feedback, the study collected detailed information on:
- The forms of activism students are leading on their campuses
- The institutional barriers and supports they encounter
- The resources they say they need but do not currently receive
- How campus climate affects both safety and organizing
Rather than treating students as a homogeneous group, the study paid attention to intersections of identity, recognizing that race, gender, sexuality, disability, and immigration status all shape how violence is experienced and how activism unfolds.
Key Findings: What Students Are Experiencing
The study reveals a complex picture of campus activism: powerful, creative, and resilient, yet frequently under-resourced and undervalued. Several major themes emerged from students’ responses.
1. A Persistent Gap Between Policy and Practice
Students reported that many campuses have formal policies addressing sexual and relationship violence, but these policies often fail to translate into consistent, trauma-informed practice. Common concerns included:
- Inconsistent enforcement of conduct and Title IX procedures
- Opaque reporting processes that discourage survivors from coming forward
- Policies that exist on paper but are poorly communicated to the campus community
- Lack of meaningful consequences for policy violations
Activists emphasized that a policy-only approach, without accountability and cultural change, leaves survivors unsafe and students disillusioned.
2. Student Activists as Unpaid First Responders
Many student activists described functioning as informal first responders when incidents of harm occur. Friends, peers, and classmates turn to them before they turn to administrators or formal support services. Students reported:
- Providing emotional support, safety planning, and resource referrals to survivors
- Helping peers navigate confusing reporting systems
- Attending hearings and meetings to advocate alongside survivors
While this peer support is often life-changing, it can come at a personal cost. Activists described high levels of burnout, secondary trauma, and academic strain, especially when institutions do not recognize or compensate this labor.
3. Training and Education: Too Little, Too Late
Students repeatedly stressed that most existing prevention and response trainings feel superficial or performative. Common critiques included:
- One-time orientation sessions with no follow-up or depth
- Content that prioritizes institutional liability over survivor needs
- Failure to address the experiences of marginalized communities
- Limited opportunities for student leadership in program design
Activists called for ongoing, skill-based education that engages the entire campus community, from first-year students to senior administrators.
4. Institutional Resistance and Gatekeeping
Many activists experienced resistance when they tried to make change. They described patterns such as:
- Being invited to serve on committees with minimal real decision-making power
- Having proposals stalled, watered down, or framed as "unrealistic"
- Encountering defensiveness from staff and faculty when raising concerns
- Facing subtle and overt retaliation for speaking out
Students emphasized that being heard is not the same as being taken seriously. They want collaborative partnerships with administrators, not symbolic inclusion.
5. The Power of Peer-Led Organizing
Alongside these challenges, the study highlights the creativity and power of student-led initiatives. Activists described launching peer education programs, survivor-centered storytelling events, campus climate surveys, and policy reform campaigns. They leveraged social media, coalition-building, and cross-campus networks to amplify their impact.
This peer-driven approach is not just a response to institutional gaps; it is a model for participatory, community-based prevention work that can transform campus culture.
What Students Say They Need from Their Institutions
One of the most valuable aspects of SAFER’s study is its clear articulation of students’ needs. Activists are not only naming what is wrong; they are outlining what it would take to make campuses safer and more just. Key needs include:
- Material support for activism: Funding, space, stipends, and staff allies dedicated to prevention and survivor support.
- Transparent, survivor-centered processes: Clear, accessible reporting systems with options that respect survivors’ autonomy and privacy.
- Comprehensive training: Regular, interactive, and identity-inclusive education for students, staff, and faculty.
- Shared power in decision-making: Formal structures that give students a substantive role in policy development and review.
- Long-term commitment: Multi-year plans with concrete goals, timelines, and accountability measures, not just one-off initiatives in response to crises.
Building Safer Campuses Through Genuine Partnership
The study underscores that sustainable campus change requires genuine partnership between students and institutions. Administrators, faculty, prevention practitioners, and community organizations all have roles to play, but student activists bring on-the-ground insight that cannot be replicated from outside.
Transformative partnership means moving beyond token student representation to shared leadership. It means compensating student labor, co-creating programs, and treating student expertise as vital, not optional. When this happens, prevention is no longer an add-on; it becomes embedded in the academic mission and daily life of the campus.
Centering Equity and Inclusion in Campus Safety Work
Another central lesson from the study is that campus safety cannot be separated from broader struggles for equity and justice. Students reported that experiences of sexual and relationship violence, as well as institutional responses, are deeply shaped by racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and other forms of oppression.
Activists called for prevention efforts that:
- Address harm in the context of power, privilege, and systemic inequality
- Include leadership from students of color, LGBTQ+ students, disabled students, and others most affected by violence
- Challenge victim-blaming narratives and stereotypes about which survivors "deserve" support
- Recognize that international students and first-generation students may face additional barriers to reporting or accessing resources
For campuses committed to genuine safety, this means aligning sexual and relationship violence prevention with broader work around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
From Findings to Action: Using the Study as a Roadmap
SAFER’s study is more than a snapshot of current conditions; it is a roadmap for action. Campuses can use its findings to conduct honest self-assessment, identify gaps, and prioritize changes in collaboration with students. Concrete next steps might include:
- Reviewing policies with student activists to identify inconsistencies and barriers
- Creating standing advisory councils where students share power with administrators
- Expanding funding for survivor support services and peer-led programs
- Investing in regular climate surveys and making results publicly available
- Integrating prevention and consent education into curricula and co-curricular experiences
By treating the study as an ongoing conversation rather than a one-time reference, institutions can continually refine their approaches in response to student feedback and changing campus realities.
The Ongoing Story of Student Activism
This article represents just the beginning of a larger exploration of SAFER’s study. Subsequent pieces can dig deeper into specific themes: how activists are building coalitions, what effective collaborations with administrators look like, and how campuses can measure progress over time. At every stage, the core principle remains the same: students are not just stakeholders; they are co-creators of safer, more accountable campuses.
By honoring their experiences and acting on their recommendations, institutions can move closer to the vision that student activists have been pursuing for years: learning environments where safety, dignity, and justice are non-negotiable.