Academic and Workplace Behaviors and Environment Survey (AWBES)

Overview

Rutgers is committed to ensuring a respectful, inclusive workplace environment free of harassment. Based on this commitment, under the leadership of the Office of the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Prabhas Moghe, the university supported the implementation of the Academic and Workplace Behaviors and Environment Survey (AWBES), the first universitywide survey of faculty, part-time lecturers, staff, postdoctoral fellows and associates, and teaching and graduate assistants designed to help the university assess, prevent, and effectively respond to harassment among employees. The survey launched on November 3, 2022, and was open for 6 weeks, until December 15.

The survey provided a confidential way for respondents to share their experiences and for the university to demonstrate accountability and commitment to addressing the strengths and gaps revealed in the data. Analysis of the data occurred during the Spring and Summer of 2023 by researchers under the leadership of Rutgers Professor Sarah McMahon at the Center for Research on Ending Violence at the School of Social Work. The results were reviewed by senior leadership, and during the 2023-2024 academic year, a universitywide steering committee developed a set of recommendations based on the survey findings. The survey results and recommendations were released on October 16, 2024. The next phase of the project is implementation of the recommendations at the central and Chancellor-led Unit levels.

Results and Recommendations Reports

Key Survey Findings and Recommendations for Action: Read the executive summary that provides context, lists key universitywide findings, describes the action planning process, and presents recommendations for university action.
Full Survey Findings Report: Read the comprehensive report detailing the universitywide results of the survey, including details on procedures and methods, and results for multiple employee groups on campus.
Tableau: Explore the survey results (link forthcoming—NetID will be required) through an interactive portal created in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. Tableau provides an opportunity for members of the campus to view key findings in greater detail.

Institutional Commitment to Address AWBES Findings and Sexual Misconduct

AWBES is part of a larger institutional effort to understand the climate as experienced by faculty, staff, and students and is informed by President Holloway’s abiding commitment to foster a safe, welcoming, and inclusive community. His latest communication to the campus community reaffirms the Rutgers commitment to preventing and responding to all forms of sexual misconduct. Rutgers is a founding member of the National Academies’ Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education. President Holloway also convened a Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Subcommittee on his Cabinet to review the findings from AWBES and the Report of the Rutgers University Committee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Cultural Change.

Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Subcommittee of the Cabinet

The Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Subcommittee of the President’s Cabinet began meeting in the Fall 2023 semester to review the structure, strengths, and gaps related to the university’s prevention and response to sexual misconduct. Their review is based on the recommendations from Rutgers committees, best practices and research. The Subcommittee’s organizational approach is guided by four main principles:

Consistency: Members of the Rutgers community should be able to expect consistency across the University around support, protocols, trainings, preventions, and the overall experience.

Transparency: Rutgers should model clear and effective communication with the university community around goals and accomplishments.

Navigability: Rutgers should have a reporting and support structure that is easy to understand and signals that a responsive, supportive approach is a university priority.

Accountability: Key stakeholders in this area should understand their responsibilities and how they are accountable for upholding Rutgers’ goals.

To provide guidance and support that is consistent, navigable, and based on best practices, the Subcommittee will work with CLU leaders and President Holloway to ensure addressing the issues of sexual misconduct and workplace incivility remain a top priority for the university.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conduct that may constitute a criminal offense should be immediately reported to the Rutgers University Police Department. Call 911 in the event of an emergency.
Employee or third-party conduct that may involve violations of University Policies prohibiting discrimination and/or harassment based on membership in a protected class, sexual harassment (including under Title IX), workplace violence, and whistleblower retaliation may be reported to the Rutgers Office of Employment Equity. All faculty and supervisors have an affirmative duty to report alleged violations of these Policies to the Office of Employment Equity.
Employee or third party conduct that may involve violations of any other University Policies may be reported to Rutgers University Ethics & Compliance.
The New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA) is a state organization unaffiliated with Rutgers that operates a 24-hour victim assistance hotline: 1-800-601-7200.

Conduct that may constitute a criminal offense should be immediately reported to the Rutgers University Police Department. Call 911 in the event of an emergency.
Student conduct that may violate University Policies, including the University Code of Student Conduct and Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures, may be reported to the Student Affairs Office of your relevant Chancellor-Led Unit. For more information, visit New Brunswick, Newark, Camden, and Rutgers Health.
Students may also contact the Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance (VPVAs) on their respective campuses for confidential assistance, 24/7. For more information, visit New Brunswick, Newark, Camden, and Rutgers Health.
The New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA) is a state organization unaffiliated with Rutgers that operates a 24-hour victim assistance hotline: 1-800-601-7200.

Surveys are commonly used to learn about organizational culture and individual experiences. In 2014, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault recommended campuses conduct regular surveys to understand community perceptions of discrimination, harassment, sexual assault, and relationship violence. Survey results are used to plan programs, design policies, inform prevention, create culture change, and guide resource allocation.

The AWBES was based on the recommendations included in the Report of the Rutgers University Committee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Culture Change that Barbara Lee, former senior vice president for Academic Affairs, and Karen Stubaus, former vice president for Academic Affairs, chaired. Much has been accomplished in Rutgers University’s long and successful history of responding to and preventing campus sexual violence, including sexual harassment. Since 2014, researchers from the Center for Research on Ending Violence have administered campus climate surveys across all Rutgers campuses at regular intervals, with over 22,000 student responses collected.

As the institution continues to develop as a leader in addressing these issues, there are areas where further work would help support the university’s commitment to creating a welcoming, safe, and inclusive climate for all members of the community. In the past, campus climate surveys were directed to students. This project is expanding to faculty and staff to better understand the experiences and perceptions of the larger campus community. The information will be used to help drive the university’s efforts and strategic initiatives to address harassment and workplace incivility and provide a robust model for implementation at other universities.

This confidential survey was used to help inform and shape prevention programming, policy development, and resource allocation decisions on campus.

Rutgers University faculty, part-time lecturers, staff*, postdoctoral fellows and associates, teaching assistants (TAs), and graduate assistants (GAs) employed at the start of the Fall 2022 semester were invited to participate via email in the survey. Participation in the survey was entirely voluntary.

*Type three and four employees are not included in this survey.

The survey team recognizes the sensitive nature of the survey, and as such, all survey responses are confidential. This means that the research team was not able to determine the identity of a survey participant regardless of the platform they used to take the survey (computer, tablet, phone, or paper).

Survey participants were asked to enter their NetIDs to access the survey if taking it on an electronic device; however, this information was used only to link select demographic information to participants’ responses and enter participants into a raffle for one of many various incentives. The research team only received a de-identified dataset, meaning that there was no way to link participants’ identities with their responses on the survey. All the reports also aggregate data to protect participants’ identities.

Participation in the survey was entirely voluntary.

In preparation for the administration of the AWBES survey, a universitywide steering committee and campus working groups on each of the CLUs were convened to assist with developing outreach measures to promote the survey to employees and to guide subsequent action planning based on the survey results. The steering committee and campus working groups comprised several key partners from multiple departments across all Rutgers campuses.

Overall, the survey findings offer valuable insights that the Rutgers University community is using to enhance its policies, prevention programming, and services for survivors of sexual harassment. The results have informed the recommendations developed by the Universitywide AWBES Recommendations Steering Committee and will guide further action planning at the campus level.

The implementation process will occur at both the central, institutional level, and the Chancellor-led unit level. The Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Subcommittee will lead the process at the centralized institutional level, and the CLU workgroups are developing action plans tailored to each CLU. The final plans will be posted on this site.

Together, these efforts will help build a more welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for the entire Rutgers University community.