University of Montana Issues New Policies on Sexual Assault Reporting

The University of Montana board of regents has approved new policies for the handling of sexual assault claims at colleges and universities in the state system. The new policies were instituted after an internal investigation of sexual assaults on campus last fall determined that the cases were not reported properly. Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education opened investigations into the university’s policies and procedures.

The board of regents stipulated that all institutions in the state system appoint a coordinator to oversee gender equality issues. All employees will now be required to undergo training on proper procedures for reporting sexual assaults and university staff who deal directly with incidents of sexual assaults will undergo more extensive training than has been the case in the past.