Friday, February 28, 2014

In her meeting with the Iowa Board of Regents in Urbandale today to discuss the University of Iowa’s sexual misconduct policies, UI President Sally Mason unveiled a “Six-Point Plan to Combat Sexual Assault.”

Following are details of the plan, which can also be found on the UI Office of the President’s website at http://president.uiowa.edu/six-point-plan, along with Mason's remarks to the board. Updates about the university’s progress toward meeting the plan’s stated goals will also be provided regularly on the site.

Related: University of Iowa sexual misconduct response

Six-Point Plan to Combat Sexual Assault

Point 1: Crack down on offenders

  • Hold all offenders responsible for their actions.
  • Develop more, and more effective, sanctions.
  • Expel offenders in the most severe cases.
  • Request Board of Regents support to assess system-wide policies and procedures.

Point 2: Increase support for survivors

  • Expand long-term support services.
  • Train every staff member who comes in contact with survivors.
  • Advocate continued federal funding for nurse examiners.

Point 3: Improve prevention and education

  • Add staff for in-person training, workshops, and dialogues.
  • Implement regular campus safety walks to improve lighting and other conditions.
  • Authorize funding to expand Night Ride.

Point 4: Improve communication

  • Make resource and support information easier to find.
  • Improve information on key web pages.
  • Improve language of our Timely Warning emails.

Point 5: Add funding

  • Seek every source of dollars to support this plan, including savings from the efficiency projects the board’s consultants will be assisting with, and other areas.
  • Expand overall resources to address the problem of sexual assault.

Point 6: Listen more and report back

  • Form a student advisory group to meet regularly with the president and senior staff.
  • Use the president’s website to provide updates on this plan.