The Trump administration, through Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, has decided to roll back Obama-era policies that give guidelines on how campuses across the country should handle sexual assault and harassment. Benjamin Zibers, Park’s director of student engagement, said that regardless of what the Trump administration decides Park’s commitment to making campus safe for everyone, “won’t be wavering.”

According to Park University’s annual crime disclosure, required by the Clery Act, there were four forcible sex offenses on campus in 2014, zero in 2015 and two in 2016. Statistics for 2017 are not available yet.

Amanda Bryant, Park’s coordinator for student advocacy, said that Park meets legal requirements but “there are always pieces to improve.”

Bryant works closely with Park’s Culture of Respect. Culture of Respect is a nationwide organization “dedicated to strengthening sexual violence prevention and response on college campuses,” per their website.

Bryant said that an area where Park can improve is in reaching out to online students. Park University students who take courses online are protected under Title IX and can report to the university if they are being sexually harassed or have been assaulted by another student or a professor.

Zibers echoed Bryant in that there are always things to improve. He said, “We can always increase training and make it easier for students to find resources.”

Zibers also said that the university should, “encourage students to read the policy to make sure they’re not violating it.”

There are a few things to be aware of if you or someone you know has been sexually harassed or assaulted on campus. Every employee of the university is a mandatory reporter, other than counseling center staff members Dustin Wall and Linda Waxse, Zibers, and Assistant Professor of Social Work Debra Olson-Morrison are also non-mandatory reporters.

If a student chooses to report harassment or an assault there will be an investigation. They are not forced to participate in the investigation if they choose not to. The student will also be assigned an advocate that will be able to answer any questions about the investigation.

During the investigation, two investigators will gather as much evidence as they can. They will then turn in all of their notes and a timeline of how they believe the events happened. Then they’ll give their recommendation on what to do to the Title IX Coordinator who will make the final decision.

There are a lot of resources available for survivors of sexual assault. Know your rights by reading Park University’s Title IX policy. Additionally, the counseling center in Dearing Hall offers free therapy and can provide students with more resources.