Sexual assaults on college campuses have recently come to the forefront of a national discussion due to a series of disturbing incidents covered by the national news. I want to be perfectly clear, and I have expressed this message to our campus presidents: our students expect and deserve a safe learning environment. Inappropriate, unwanted, and predatory behavior is intolerable and should be dealt with quickly and decisively. I have directed our Chief Counsel to review campus policies and procedures to ensure that if incidents occur on our campuses that they will be dealt with fairly and humanely.
These directions are consistent with national initiatives. In April, President Obama presented a series of "first steps" developed by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.
The initial recommendations focus on four of the most pressing challenges: identifying the scope of the problem on college campuses; preventing sexual assaults; helping schools respond more effectively to student allegations; and strengthening the federal government's own enforcement efforts.
Within NSHE's eight institutions, we are acutely aware of these issues and are working to create an environment that prevents these assaults from taking place, as well as providing a compassionate and effective response should an assault occur.
NSHE, UNLV and UNR recently co-sponsored a two-day statewide training session to elevate our effectiveness in combating sexual misconduct and sexual violence. Participants from each of our institutions included presidents, as well as faculty and staff from such departments as legal, student services, and police services.
They reviewed and discussed national best practices and learned what we could do to ensure a consistent, and common, victim-centered approach to this issue on our campuses. While we must strive to do everything in our power to prevent sexual assaults from occurring, we must also make sure if an assault takes place, victims have access to the necessary resources and perpetrators are brought to justice.
Student safety is our top priority. NSHE's more than 105,000 students have the right to live free from sexual assault. We are determined to combat sexual violence on our campuses and foster a safe, supportive and responsive environment for all of our students.
