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There is approximately 60 years of research on campus sexual assault and shelves full of books on young people's sexual experiences and behaviors, including their experiences with assault.

More is likely to be generated following the September 2026 high-profile lawsuit by a female former Cornell University student, known as Jane Doe, who says that a group of seven Chi Phi fraternity members drugged and gang-raped her when she was a sophomore in 2024.

Yet, there is very little research about the role parents have played, or should play, in educating their children about campus sexual assault prevention.

I am a sociologist who spent 2024 and 2025 interviewing 56 parents across the country about this issue.…