“I think we are focused on making a number of efforts before the end of the school year,” she said. “Sexual assault should not exist on this campus given what we see as our most fundamental values…. It is just totally at odds with everything we believe in and want to be.”
“When I hear stories from individuals about [sexual assault], it is heart-rending. I think that it is also [often] difficult to figure out, once it’s happened, how to best support the individual in question, and that is our challenge,” Faust said. “That is what I think the task force needs to address first of all.”
Last week, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith announced the formation of an FAS committee charged with bringing the body up to code with a proposed University-wide sexual assault policy currently being reviewed by the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education.
Faust said last week that she was unable to comment on any specific initiatives of the policy while it was under review.
—Staff writer Matthew Q. Clarida can be reached at matthew.clarida@thecrimson.com Follow him on Twitter @MattClarida.