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WASHINGTON, DC – University of ����ֱ�� System President Tim Wolfe was in Washington, DC today, where he was one of 20 university presidents that attended a “listening session” with Senior White House officials on the topic of sexual assault at colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education. The event was part of nine such meetings being facilitated by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.

President Obama announced formation of the task force on January 22, which is seeking to develop recommendations over a three-month period that can help colleges and universities prevent and respond to assaults, increase transparency about schools’ efforts, and better prepare the federal government to step in if there is insufficient action. Today’s meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was part of a series of outreach sessions for students, survivors, researchers, educational associations, advocates, law enforcement officials, college presidents and legal experts.

“I was honored to be selected to participate in today’s listening session with my fellow college presidents and White House officials, and engaging in a very compelling and constructive dialogue on preventing sexual assaults on our campuses,” said President Wolfe. “The safety and security of students on our four campuses is an absolute priority of my administration. I will continue to raise awareness and take any necessary action to ensure we are addressing this challenging issue in the appropriate manner, because any sexual assault that occurs is one too many.”

Last month, President Wolfe announced formation of a University of ����ֱ�� System Sexual Assault and Mental Health Task Force, directing the four chancellors of the UM System to lead comprehensive reviews of the policies, training and procedures concerning the prevention and reporting of sexual assaults, plus the availability of mental health resources, on their respective campuses. Following a review of these policies, President Wolfe has pledged to devote any necessary resources, including increased funding from the UM System budget, to solve any areas of need in how the campuses address these issues.

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