Pres. Mortensen: Join Me in Supporting Survivors

Editor’s note: This message from USU President Brad L. Mortensen was sent to all employees and students Wednesday morning.

Dear Aggie Community,

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and it is an opportunity to reaffirm a commitment Utah State University has carried for nearly a decade.

Since 2018, USU has been a leader in the Start by Believing campaign, a national effort focused on how we respond when someone shares their experience with sexual assault. Research shows that the way we respond can shape whether a survivor seeks help, reports what happened, or begins the process of healing.

The progress at USU is meaningful. When we first launched Start by Believing, nearly 38% of survivors said they told no one about their experience. By 2023, that number had dropped to 17%. Our 2025 campus climate survey shows that trend continuing, with overall decreases in self-reported misconduct and more than 95% of students saying they would respond supportively to a friend who shared a disclosure. In 2023, this work was recognized with a Gold Excellence Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators for USU’s campuswide approach to preventing sexual misconduct.

Creating a campus where every Aggie feels safe and supported takes all of us. I invite you to learn more and consider taking the pledge at startbybelieving.usu.edu.

Best,

brad