The University of Iowa (UI) is taking a staunch stand against sexual assault on campus, announcing their new policy will expel any student found responsible.
According to the Huffington Post, UI's new approach to adjudicating sexual assault will punish anyone responsible of "non-consensual sexual intercourse." While full expulsion is the most likely punishment for sexual assault, students found responsible may also be suspended for multiple semesters.
UI's policy did not limit sexual assault to forcible rape and offenses included unwanted groping and attempted sexual assault. In Feb., UI President Sally Mason unveiled a "Six-Point Plan" and a "Sanctioning Guideline" Tuesday.
"Since the start of the academic year, in keeping with our practice of communicating openly about this issue, the Department of Public Safety has issued timely warnings about three sexual assaults committed on campus against students," Mason wrote in an open letter to the UI community. "I am grateful for the courage of the survivors who made these reports because it allows us to offer support, to investigate, and ultimately to hold perpetrators accountable.
"We take sexual assaults very seriously. There is no excuse for this crime. It has no place on this campus. We must continue to address this problem, and we must not rest until it is eliminated entirely."
Several schools across the nation are revamping their policies and practices on sexual assault as a response to the U.S. Education Department's (ED) Office of Civil Rights. Earlier this year, the ED officially released their list of schools under investigation for Title IX and/or Clery Act complaints. The list has since grown to include 77 colleges and universities.
"Much work remains to be done. The safety and well-being of every member of the University of Iowa community is of utmost importance, and I invite all members of our campus to play a role in confronting sexual assault," Mason wrote. "Keep talking and teaching about it, keep challenging the belief systems that enable it to happen, keep supporting the survivors, and keep taking action that will make meaningful and lasting change. Let's work with our partners on other campuses and help make Iowa a leader on this issue. Together we can bring an end to this crime."
