S+A Research Briefs & Fact Sheets

Survivor advocates and researchers have continued to raise the alarm about the impact of TFSV given the rapid proliferation of AI use across California. Despite this, universities continue to encourage student use of AI, with the California State University (CSU) system partnering with Alphabet, OpenAI, and other Big Tech companies to “create an AI-powered higher education system”. The threat and impact of TFSV cannot be overstated. In January 2026, California Attorney General Bonta launched an investigation into xAI’s Grok due to users ability to create and distribute sexual content featuring women and children. It is clear that TFSV remains a critical issue.

This brief highlights the importance of building resource networks that are trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and available in multiple formats. It also includes examples of what healing supports exist both nationally and across UC and CSU campuses, ranging from confidential advocacy and therapy to reproductive care, academic accommodations, and community-based services. By making sure these resources are visible and survivor-centered, survivors can access care in the ways that feel safest and most aligned with where they are in their healing.

Graduate students uphold a variety of responsibilities across university campuses, including mentoring, teaching, and research. However, these unique responsibilities within the educational structure of graduate programs raise concerns surrounding imbalanced power dynamics with faculty and advisors. As students like graduate student researchers tend to work directly with the faculty members that fund their cost of tuition, speaking out about sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) could jeopardize their career prospects and potentially sever relationships with colleagues and others in their field. 

Sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) are pervasive on college campuses across the United States (US) . While some resources are available to support survivors of SVSH at these institutions, our Survivors + Allies (S+A) study showed many students had low knowledge and awareness of these resources and what they offer. Even in instances where students were aware of a resource, our findings revealed that many students were confused about whether the resource was confidential or non-confidential. Yet students that identified as survivors and utilized resources had much better experiences and perceptions of confidential resources compared to non-confidential resources.

Mandated reporters, also referred to as “responsible employees,” are professionals employed by a university who are required to report any instances of sexual violence, harassment, assault, and discrimination that occur on campus. This requirement is enforced and regulated by Title IX federal law, which was expanded to protect students from sexual violence, harassment, and discrimination. As mandated reporters, graduate students who work as teaching assistants (TAs), research coordinators, and in supervisor roles should be aware of how to support survivors and provide them with an array of resources available on campus. In addition, faculty and staff should be held to the same standard. It is essential that graduate students, research coordinators, faculty, and staff are trained to be trauma-informed, as they support and work closely with various student populations.