Universities Toughen Regulations on Sexual Assault

The University of Connecticut board of trustees voted to include a wider groups of university employees who will be required to report incidents of sexual assault on campus. Under the old regulation, deans, department heads, directors, and supervisors were required to report any incidents that they witnessed or were made aware of by members of the campus community. Under the new guidelines, virtually all university employees are required to report such incidents.

The board of trustees at the University of Wyoming approved new regulations concerning sexual misconduct on campus. The new regulation states that the university “prohibits sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual discrimination, sexual assault or sexual violence, sexual harassment and any form of nonconsensual sexual conduct. Students should be able to live, study and work in an environment free from all forms of sexual misconduct.” The regulations are accompanied by a policy document that spells out behaviors that are defined as sexual misconduct, reporting procedures for assault and harassment allegations, and identifies campus resources available for victims of sexual misconduct.