NORMAN, Okla. — The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents voted Thursday to lengthen the time frame during which victims of sexual assault on campus can decide if they want the university to pursue disciplinary action against the assailant.
The board voted unanimously to revise the policy regarding sexual assault. The new revision increases the time frame from 30 days to 365 days for which victims can decide if they want the university to pursue further disciplinary action.
The change comes after a group of students brought it to the attention of OU President David Boren.
Boren says many victims of sexual assault have mixed feelings and may need more time to decide if they want to proceed.
“In some cases victims of sexual assault have very mixed feelings about a very difficult situation and it’s certainly difficult to come to a decision about whether or not to file a complaint in 30 days,” he says.
Boren says it was never the university’s intention to have a statute of limitations, but a technicality in the Student Code of Conduct wording inadvertently created one.
Under the code, the university must bring disciplinary action against a student within 30 days of discovering the violation.
