Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin pledged to improve MU’s approach to sexual assault allegations after an external report stated the university did not properly handle a former student’s case.

The University of Missouri Board of Curators commissioned the report in response to a January 2014 story by ESPN, which revealed MU failed to pursue late MU athlete Sasha Menu Courey’s alleged 2010 sexual assault case.

Menu Courey committed suicide in June 2011, nearly 15 months after the assault.

St. Louis-based law firm Dowd Bennett, LLC conducted the investigation. In its report, published April 11, the firm concluded that while MU did not violate the law, it did not properly follow Title IX guidelines.

Title IX prohibits sexual violence, sexual harassment and discrimination based on sex, [according to the MU Equity Office](http://equity.missouri.edu/resource-library/athletics.php), which addresses bias against students, faculty and staff.

The firm also said MU employees and officials had learned about Menu Courey’s alleged assault through a 2012 Columbia Daily Tribune article, which said the former athlete did not name her attacker. This information never reached MU’s Title IX Coordinator Noel English, who could have opened an investigation.

English was not available for comment regarding the role of the Title IX Coordinator in handling these cases.

The report added MU did not have procedures in place in 2012 to direct university employees who may have learned about a sexual assault. The university had not implemented any measures during the investigation, which started in February 2014.

The lack of directives, according to the report, had contributed to MU not conducting a proper investigation of Menu Courey’s case and delayed the investigation. The case was not reported to the Columbia Police Department until January 2014.

In an April 15 email to MU students, faculty and staff, Loftin said MU needs to improve coordination between law enforcement personnel, the Office of Student Conduct and the university’s Title IX Coordinator to create a safe educational environment.

“I thank (UM System President Tim Wolfe) and the Board of Curators for providing the time, resources and transparency to look into this matter,” Loftin said in an email sent to MU community. “These issues are of the utmost importance on a college campus, and we take them very seriously. The safety, security and health of our students are our most important priorities.”

MU has provided the Columbia Police Department, which is actively investigating the case, with names and information, and greatly cooperated with the investigation, Assistant Police Chief Jill Schlude said.

“The university has done a great job to make sure they’re not causing us conflict,” she said. “They understand the criminal part is important, and they have made sure not to interview anyone without us knowing first.”

In addition, MU has started a comprehensive revision of its policies and procedures, prompted by a February directive from Wolfe. In an April 2 email, Loftin reminded the MU community about resources available to victims or others who would like to report an incident.

Athletic Director Mike Alden said in an email that he created a sub-task force to review the division’s handling of sexual assault allegations and mental health issues.

MU Director of Sports Psychology Rick McGuire will lead the team alongside Robert Bailey, assistant dean and director of the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution at the MU School of Law; Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Performance Pat Ivey, Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance Mitzi Clayton and Columbia prosecutor Andrea Hayes.

“The group has no timetable, but is expected to put together an assessment of how things have worked in the past, and to make some recommendations as to how we can get better going forward,” athletic department spokesman Chad Moller said.

Loftin also said in his April 15 email to MU students, faculty and staff that MU might create a special committee within the Office of Student Conduct to deal with sexual assault allegations. Donell Young, Student Conduct senior coordinator, was not available for comment.

“I accept the findings and acknowledge that we have a responsibility as a university to ensure that we are stronger in the future,” Loftin said in the email.