This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Stanford. Baylor. BYU.

Across the country and in Utah, colleges and the justice system are coming under scrutiny for the way they respond to sexual assaults of students.

Experts say that few attacks are reported, and even fewer result in justice for a victim, as perpetrators, law enforcement and society as a whole struggle to understand consent and the repercussions of sexual violence.

To explore what Utah colleges are doing to prevent and respond to sexual assaults, The Salt Lake Tribune will hold a town hall on Thursday, June 30, at 7 p.m. at The Leonardo, 209 E. 500 South. The Salt Lake City event is free and open to the public.

"That a culture of sexual assault exists on university campuses is a crisis nationally and in Utah," said Tribune Editor Terry Orme. "The goal of our conversation is to go beyond the 'why,' and get to 'what needs to be done about it.' "

In Utah, students at Brigham Young University have criticized the LDS Church-owned school's handling of sexual-assault cases, contending they faced discipline under its Honor Code after reporting they had been raped.

Women who have reported sexual assaults at the University of Utah and Utah State University have objected that the schools take too long to investigate and resolve discipline cases, leaving them struggling to maintain normal college lives.

And Westminster College is under investigation by the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, which is determining whether the private Salt Lake City school complied with federal regulations when a student reported a sexual assault in 2013.

Panelists at Thursday's event will include Madi Barney, who filed a federal complaint against BYU after she says the school blocked her from enrolling in classes after she reported to local police that she'd been raped; Jodi Petersen, a sexual-assault support advocate with the U.'s Center for Student Wellness; Steve Evans, attorney and co-founder of the Mormon blog "By Common Consent"; and Tribune reporter Erin Alberty. KCPW's Roger McDonough will moderate the town hall, which will be rebroadcast on KCPW, 105.5 FM, and available to view on sltrib.com.

Click here to RSVP to the free event.

Julie Valentine, a sexual-assault nurse examiner and a member of BYU's "Advisory Council on Campus Response to Sexual Assault," was originally part of The Tribune's panel but declined to participate after Barney was added Thursday.

"Due to the change in the original structure of the forum, Dr. Julie Valentine, as a representative from BYU Advisory Council, is unable to participate," the school said in a statement. "BYU remains committed to fully addressing the issues related to campus sexual assault and looks forward to receiving the recommendations from the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is intensely engaged in gathering data about the issues from multiple sources and receiving guidance from national experts."

As part of its study of possible improvements, BYU has launched a website — feedback2016.byu.edu — to receive comments on its handling of sexual-assault reports. Its advisory council also is reviewing comments on a petition delivered to the school by protesters during a rally in April.

Barney launched the petition, which seeks amnesty from discipline for students who report sexual assaults, after speaking out during a rape-awareness event at the Provo campus in April.

She faced discipline after a Utah County sheriff's deputy gave her detailed rape report to the school's Honor Code Office. Barney was forbidden from enrolling in future classes unless she agreed to cooperate with an investigation into her conduct — which prosecutors discouraged because a criminal trial against the man accused by Barney is pending.

"This is an issue that is incredibly close to me," Barney said. "I think it is so important to continue the conversation surrounding rape and sexual assault. Use discussion as a tool to combat rape culture and ignorance, especially on college campuses like BYU. Do what you can to promote change."