In light of recent allegations of sexual assault against former Student Body President Kenon Brinkley, multiple Wichita State campus departments came together last Tuesday to discuss the resources that are available to victims of sexual violence and to answer any concerns that attendees had.

“We acknowledge the recent allegations that were brought forth last week, but today the purpose of this event is not to focus on those allegations, but to discuss campus resources and support services,” Student Advocate Katrina Miller said.

The discussion panel included members from retention and assessment, the Testing and Counseling Center, the Wichita State police department, institutional equity and compliance, and Student Health Services. These campus departments form the care team.

“The care team is a multidisciplinary team made up of many campus departments,” Director of the Counseling and Testing Center Jessica Provines said. “It reviews reports of students needing support and care.”

Each case that is submitted is carefully investigated and goes through a process. Depending on the nature of the case, it will be passed through several different departments for review.

“Seventy-four to 75 percent of sexual assaults go unreported,” now-interim Title IX Coordinator and Director of WSU’s new Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance Christine Taylor said. “The more reports the campus has, the safer the campus is.”

A majority of sexual assaults occur off-campus, based on previous reports.

“There has been an increase in reports of domestic abuse,” Taylor said. “People are reporting it more and are requesting services. It is becoming more comfortable for people to report these types of incidents.”

Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Alicia Newell said the care team’s overall goal is “to provide a community of caring within the university to where no matter what the issue or incident is, whether it’s sexual assault or something else, that students understand that they don’t have to go through it alone.”

In addition to the resources already provided, the university also has a Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center representative on campus from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and 1-4 p.m. on Thursdays. All students are encouraged to report any concerns they may have.