Prompt and Equitable: A Critical Study of Sexual Violence Policies and Procedures at University of North Carolina System Institutions

The United States federal government has issued specific guidance to colleges and universities regarding the institution’s ability to address sexual violence cases in a prompt and equitable manner. I conducted this parallel convergent study with the 16 University of North Carolina higher education institutions utilizing an online survey, interviews, and document reviews to determine how each institution interprets and implements the prompt and equitable standard. The research questions used to guide this study were (a) how do the UNC constituent institutional policies and procedures reference prompt and equitable, (b) how do the primary sexual violence adjudicating individuals at UNC institutions define prompt and equitable, and (c) how do they implement this standard in their policies and procedures. This parallel convergent study allows for an investigation that addressed not only what a policy is, but also why it exists and how it works. Under the prompt and equitable themes, subcategories were developed through open coding. The results indicate that the conversations about adjudicating sexual violence are not ceasing and that this foundational research can be utilized as the basis of future research regarding how sexual violence cases are adjudicated.