Brigham Young University to Study Its Sexual Assault Reporting Policies

A woman student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, has filed a Title IX complaint with the federal government. The student claims she was raped in November 2015 by a 39-year-old man who was not a BYU student. The incident did not occur on the BYU campus. The student reported the incident to local police and the man is standing trial on rape charges later this year.

Although the student did not report the incident to university officials, she was later notified by the university that it had obtained the police report and that she was under investigation for violation of the university’s honor code. The honor code restricts students from engaging in premarital sex and the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. As a result of the alleged honor code violations, the student was prohibited from registering for classes and is attempting to transfer to another university.

The issue is that women at the university may be hesitant to report sexual assaults and other misconduct because it may lead to honor code investigations that may put their education at risk.

In response, the university issued a statement that read in part, “We understand the concerns that have been expressed about the reporting of sexual assaults to our Title IX Office, and we care deeply about the safety of our students. We have decided to study these issues, including potential structural changes within the university, the process for determining whether and how information is used, and relationship between the Title IX Office and the Honor Code Office.”

Later, Kevin J Worthen, president of Brigham Young University, issued a video discussing the situation. The video can be seen below.