Update 10:15 Thursday
Kansas State University officials responded to yesterdays student protest in a statement KCUR received last night. The statement says the university will publish clarifications about when and where it will investigate allegations of discrimination, including sexual assault. The direct response to the students can be read here.
The original post begins here.
The Kansas State Interfraternity Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night demanding the university start investigating off-campus sexual assault allegations.
Zach Lowry, president of the IFC, the leadership organization for the 25 fraternity chapters on campus, says hundreds of students have come out to a campus rally Wednesday afternoon in support of the resolution. Hundreds more, he said, have signed a petition that will go to the university administration.
The move comes in the wake of a lawsuit by two students who claim they were raped at off-campus fraternity houses. The university refused to investigate the claims, saying it was against its policies to investigate off campus crime. Many fraternity houses are located off university property, but are recognized as university organizations.
Lowry says the council passed the Sexual Violence Policy Resolution unanimously. The fraternity leaders accuse officials of ignoring earlier requests for the university to look into off-campus sexual assault claims.
"We've basically not gotten any response back," he says. "There are a lot of people who want the very same thing, but I think at the very top level with the general counsel, they think it's too much of a liability to investigate off-campus sexual allegations," Lowry says.
The university was not immediately available for comment but has said in the past it will not investigate off campus crime and that the university provides resources for victims of sexual assault.
Laura Ziegler is a community engagement reporter and producer at KCUR 89-3. She can be reached via twitter @laurazig or at lauraz@kcur.org.
