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A group of students and recent graduates from the University of Utah are asking school administrators to change the way they respond to sexual assault on campus.

And they recently posted an online petition to gain support for these demands, which include increased resources and staff for the Women's Resource Center and a public meeting on sexual assault on campus.

The group, SLC Against Sexual Assault, was formed last week after President David Pershing sent a campus-wide email about an alleged rape that occurred on Halloween in the Merrill Engineering Building parking lot.

In the email, University Police Chief Dale Brophy is quoted saying that the department could not determine that such an incident occurred, despite a thorough investigation.

"We are not calling into question that this person may have experienced something terrible at some point in her life, but we are not able to find evidence that a crime occurred at the place, date and time reported," Brophy said in the email.

Group members took offense to this language and leader Mira Reynolds, research manager at the U.'s National Center for Veterans Studies, said it will have a chilling effect on rape reporting for both men and women.

"The perception I have is that they thought it would decrease fear on campus ... a lot of people were pretty upset by what happened on Halloween and [administrators] thought that by saying 'Well, this girl was probably lying,' it would make people feel safer," Reynolds said. "But I know ... that many women now feel like they can't report because your name or your character is being questioned on such a public platform."

Group members believe that university administration has mishandled campus sexual assaults and "promoted rape culture through the language that has been used by President Pershing and the campus police chief, as well as the actions and policies the administration has chosen to take on the issue," the petition states.

In an emailed statement Thursday, U. spokeswoman Maria O'Mara said there were "some errors of fact" in how the petition summarized news articles about the U.'s handling of two sex assault cases.

SLC Against Sexual Assault members said they will be meeting with campus administrators Friday to discuss the petition.

The petition also highlights a number of changes group members would like to see, including increased resources and staff for the Women's Resource Center, requiring that the transcripts of individuals found responsible for committing sexual assault include that information, and hiring additional Title IX investigation staff.

Under Title IX, a federal law that bars sex discrimination, colleges and universities are required to swiftly respond to and resolve complaints of sexual violence.

The U. currently is under federal investigation because of a complaint from graduate Nisha Kavalam who said the school mishandled her sexual assault investigation. It is one of three Utah colleges — including Brigham Young University and Westminster College — being investigated for their handling of sexual assault complaints.

The group also wants all Title IX investigation documents to be open to the public when the investigation is complete, as well as for all campus police to be trained in trauma-informed interviewing.

"President Pershing and his administration have welcomed suggestions from all members of the campus community on the issue of sexual assault," O'Mara said. "The authors of today's petition may not be aware of many initiatives already under way to address their concerns, and we look forward to meeting with them and including them in those conversations."

Pershing's email had noted that a new presidential working group has been formed to make suggestions for how to "strengthen safety" on campus, highlight the importance of consent and support those who have experienced trauma.

"We continue to look for ways to improve ... and welcome suggestions from all members of the university community," the email continues.

SLC Against Sexual Assault is writing an open letter to Pershing and the university administration outlining its proposed changes and plan to deliver it, along with all signatures of support collected, to Pershing's office Monday.

"In the email he sent out last week, President Pershing said that 'We continue to look for ways to improve safety on our campus and welcome suggestions from all members of the university community.' We intend to hold him at his word," the petition states.

Twitter @alexdstuckey