USMA Consent Form

Study Title: Innovations in Sexual Assault Prevention Pilot Program

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Mumford

Participant Informed Consent Form

The following information is provided to inform you about the NORC SHARP Survey and your participation in it.

Please read this form carefully.

1. Purpose of the study:

You are being asked to participate in the NORC SHARP Survey because you are a cadet at the United States Military Academy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate SHARP (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention) activities at USMA.

2. Procedures and approximate time requirements:

You will be asked to complete two online surveys, a baseline survey now, and a follow-up survey next year. Each survey will take about 15 minutes. The survey includes some questions about you and how you think about sexual harassment and assault.

Your participation in this research is voluntary. There is no penalty to you if you choose not to respond. You can skip any question and you can stop the survey at any time. Because it is an anonymous survey, it needs to be completed in one session. You will need to begin again (using the anonymous link from SHARP-Survey@norc.org if you exit unexpectedly.

You can complete the survey using a personal device (e.g., laptop, tablet, or mobile phone) in a private location of your choice. We recommend using a device with a larger screen for better viewing.

3. Anonymity:

This study is anonymous, which means that there is no way for anyone to link your responses to your identify. No one in your chain of command will see your responses. If you report a crime, no one will be able to follow-up on this report. If you report that you are the victim of a crime, no one will be able to reach out to you to offer help. There are other ways to report and ask for help and a list of resources is available in section 6 below. Demographic responses will be recoded to prevent anyone from figuring out your identity based on unique characteristics.

4. Compensation for participation:

[Present for USMA Class of 2025 and 2023] If you choose to take this survey today, you will receive one PMI. If you also complete the follow-up survey next year, you will receive an additional two PMIs.

5. Benefits and risks:

There are no direct benefits to you. However, benefits to future cadets may include better prevention programming and less sexual harassment and sexual assault at USMA. Your voice is important to us, therefore, we will all benefit by allowing your voice to be heard.

Completing this survey is not expected to involve any risk or discomfort to you. But a respondent who has experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault may feel discomfort and/or other emotions. Helpful resources are provided below.

6. Resources:

If you are a victim of sexual assault, or a person who wishes to prevent or respond to a crime, you may want to contact a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) or Victim Advocate (VA). To reach the DoD Safe Helpline 24/7 for restricted/unrestricted reporting and established DoD Sexual Assault Services, call the hotline number:

Toll-Free: 877-995-5247

Worldwide: https://www.safehelpline.org/

If you are a victim of sexual harassment, or a person who wishes to prevent or respond to it, you may want to contact a USMA or Army resource, below.

USMA SHARP Response Line (24/7):	845-659-7467
CPD (Center for Personal Development) (24/7):	845-591-7215
Chaplain (24/7):	845-401-8171

7. Data security:

Data will be secured on dedicated servers, and access to sensitive data will be restricted to authorized users. All NORC systems reside within secure facilities with controlled physical access with restricted hours of access. Systems are in a data center with boundary protection utilizing network firewalls, Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) and security monitoring using a unified situational platform. The IT environment is documented and managed utilizing NIST 800-53 Revision 3 security framework and is audited by third party auditors on a regular basis. The aggregated results of this anonymous survey may be shared with USMA leadership and SHARP staff and with DA, and DoD SAPR staff without any personally identifiable information.

8. Contact information:

This research is being conducted by Elizabeth Mumford, Ph.D., NORC at the University of Chicago. She may be reached at (NORC 800- forthcoming) for questions or to report a research-related problem. You may contact the NORC IRB Office at 866-309-0542 or USMA HRPP Office at 845-938-7385 or hrpp@westpoint.edu if you have questions or comments regarding your rights as a participant in the research. This research has been reviewed according to the USMA’s procedures governing your participation in this research.

STATEMENT BY PERSON AGREEING TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS ANONYMOUS STUDY

I have read this informed consent document. I understand each part of the document and I freely and voluntarily choose to participate in this anonymous study. I can choose to withdraw from the NORC SHARP Survey at any time without penalty.

Click NEXT if you agree to participate in this anonymous study.

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