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As college students return to classes, Utah higher education officials and others are joining a national chorus for more attention to campus sexual assault.

"We need to open our eyes to the fact that we're failing our students," said Melissa Flores, the advising attorney to Westminster College. "Every student should feel safe at school."

That's the idea behind a federal update to rules for colleges and universities investigating and reporting sexual assault. And it's the topic of a two-day event at Westminster College later this month. The series of talks for students and officials from around the state revolves around preventing and reporting as defined by the new federal guidelines.

It comes as federal investigators at the Department of Education are scrutinizing how officials at 55 colleges and universities have handled such cases, though they're not yet saying why.

The list includes Arizona State University and University of Colorado campuses at Boulder and at Denver. No Utah school is on the list, but one could be added, Flores said.

"It's not an if, it's a when," she said. "We wanted to do something to be proactive; to say, 'Look, we are addressing it.' "

The planned event is drawing praise from Holly Mullen, executive director of the Rape Recovery Center, who said in a statement that it will "encourage frank discussion."

Representatives from the University of Utah and Utah Valley University are scheduled to attend the conference, slated for Sept. 19 and 20. One set of discussions is geared at students.

Among the lessons: It's illegal if she or he doesn't consent, and speak up if you see something happening that makes you feel uneasy.

For officials, the conference is set to review the new guidelines.

If a student tells school officials she or he has been sexually assaulted, Flores said, one new rule requires administrators to tell that student whether it penalizes the alleged abuser.

Meanwhile, a pending measure in Congress would slap stiff penalties on schools that mishandle such investigations, fining them up to 1 percent of their total budget.

This spring, a White House committee tasked with reviewing the policies said schools should also adopt around-the-clock emergency and counseling services.

When colleges revamp their practices, the report said, they should spell out what constitutes consenting to sexual activity.

In California, lawmakers are creating such a definition for the state's vast college and university networks. On Thursday, lawmakers approved a measure requiring "affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement" from both parties, adding that "lack of protest does not mean consent." The measure now goes to the governor for final approval.

The Westminster event is open to the public and will cost $10 to attend. The keynote speaker is national activist Ted Bunch, who calls for a change in perception of what it means to be a man and how that relates to reducing violence against women.

Elizabeth Bracken, a Westminster psychology major, said she plans to attend the symposium and hopes to see both male and female students there. "Everyone would learn something," she said. —

If you go

"Not Alone: Confronting Sexual Violence on College Campuses" will be held at Westminster College on Sept. 19 and 20 in the Vieve Gore Concert Hall in the Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory. Lunch is included.

To register, visit http://www.westminstercollege.edu/titleix.

The symposium is a partnership among Westminster College, the Rape Recovery Center, the University of Utah, Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Planned Parenthood and the Utah System of Higher Education.

Nationally, one in five women in college is sexually assaulted, according to federal data. Typically, the person who assaults her is someone she knows. Men are victims, too, but in lesser numbers.