In response to the occurrence of sexual assault at the University of Iowa a few months ago, the Dean of Students Office was required by the Board of Regents to revise Iowa State’s Sexual Misconduct Policy. The policy was released Wednesday and was presented in front of students for the first time at Wednesday’s Government of the Student Body meeting.

Dione Somerville, dean of students, said the ISU renewal of the policy is “reactive, but not a response” to the occurrences at the University of Iowa.

“Violence can happen anywhere,” Somerville said. “We hope the procedures and policies will help protect our students.”

The goal of the policy is to provide a “streamlined” approach to dealing with sexual misconduct, Somerville said. She also said the language the policy is written in is “explicit” and simple for students to understand.

The policy states the Dean of Students Office is a student’s main source of support in the event of sexual misconduct. The office operates under a code of confidentiality and provides immediate resources a student may need when faced with assault.

Any occurrence of sexual misconduct is strongly advised to be reported.

“The Dean of Students will help. We want students to let us know if something like this occurs,” Somerville said. “We want to provide guidelines to people who have questions.”

An important aspect of the policy is the protection of all ISU students, regardless of where a sexual assault takes place — even in off-campus settings.

Somerville stressed the importance of the section of the policy regarding consent. She said to the senate that this was an area that should be discussed with constituents. The policy states consent cannot be granted if an individual is unconscious, impaired under the influence of alcohol or drugs, afflicted with mental conditions, unable to communicate consent, or is a minor under the age of 16.

Matthew Strayer, off-campus senator and senior in economics, expressed concern about the vague wording on what constitutes impairment.

“Impairment is subject to jurisdiction,” Strayer said. “People perceive different levels of impairment.”

Somerville agreed and was grateful for the suggestion about revision of the policy. She noted the potential revision would be taken into consideration.

Both Somerville and co-author of the policy, Kathryn Overberg, associate counsel for the university, emphasized the crucial aspect of student feedback regarding the policy.

In addition to receiving information about the revised sexual misconduct policy, the GSB senate received a presentation from Andy Baumert, state relations officer. Baumert discussed lobbying efforts by Iowa State regarding such topics as the request for salary funding from the Board of Regents. Baumert noted this was an important discussion because salary funding lowers student tuition.