On Campus Blog

Why MnSCU will look again at its sexual-violence policy

As I noticed earlier this morning, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system trustees are taking another look at their sexual-violence policy.

As minutes show, the board was discussing a revision months ago. Today it passed that revision, which does away with internal dispute resolution, changes some language and changes the definition of what a student is so that it's consistent with other codes.

But trustees referenced the Penn State sex-abuse scandal a number of times, and considered the revision "stopgap." They said they want an even more thorough review of policies and procedures early next year just to be safe.

Among the considerations: whether all MnSCU employees -- and not just selected groups -- should be mandated reporters of incidents.

Chancellor Steven Rosenstone told the board:

"It's appropriate in light of the tragic events at Penn State that we (focus on and remind ourselves of) our responsibilities."

Rosenstone is apparently sending out a related memo to MnSCU employees this week.