Helping teenagers make the transition from high schoolers in their parents’ homes to college students balancing the freedoms of an unchaperoned social life with the load of academic expectations has always been a big job for R. A.s, most of whom are no older than 21 themselves.

But in recent years, the job has become much more intense. The federal government has laid out new guidelines about universities’ responsibilities in investigating, addressing and responding to allegations of student sexual misconduct. These measures have helped open a national conversation about sex and sexual assault on campus, and the role of the university in prevention, awareness and disciplinary measures. At the same time, binge-drinking and drug-taking, which often play a role in campus sex and sexual misconduct, continue to escalate.

Last week, the Association of American Universities released the findings of a sexual misconduct survey that culled data from more than 150,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students at 27 universities. In it, nearly one in four undergraduate women said they were victims of sexual assault or misconduct. At Harvard College alone, 16 percent of female seniors said that during their time at Harvard they were subjected to “nonconsensual completed or attempted penetration.”

During the winter of 2015, the University of Michigan conducted its own study to try to quantify the frequency of sexual assault. The Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct found 22.5 percent of undergraduate females and 6.8 percent of undergraduate males said they have experienced nonconsensual kissing, touching or penetration. “In most cases, the unwanted sexual penetration occurred primarily after verbal pressure, and under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” the study said.

The school has been publicizing the results widely among its faculty and students. Ms. Daniels said: “I work in this field, so I knew the results would be dismaying, but even I was surprised by the numbers. It is sobering, very, very sobering.”

Schools like Michigan are offering workshops for new students on how to have discussions about sex, which is admirable even if administrators are somewhat optimistic in believing teenagers and 20-somethings will be comfortable having conversations about a topic that remains, for many adults, difficult to openly address. Complicating the matter is a university climate of political correctness that instills in students a fear of offending others and that hampers open dialogue.