University of Kansas hires sexual assault prevention director

In another step toward combating campus sexual violence, the University of Kansas has hired the program director of its new center to coordinate prevention and education efforts.

Jennifer Brockman, who starts her new job Jan. 20, comes to KU from the University of Iowa, where she led the largest sexual assault prevention program in the state. Brockman served as executive director of Iowa’s Rape Victim Advocacy Program, which serves 250,000 people in eight counties.

She also coordinated sexual assault prevention curriculum and awareness training for four higher education institutions, including the University of Arkansas, and numerous secondary schools.

“I think KU has positioned itself in a very innovative way to tackle some of the hurdles related to sexual assault on campus,” Brockman said in a news release. “The approach has been very intentional, and I hope to build upon these efforts into the future.”

KU created the center in October to centralize its sexual assault prevention and education efforts as a response to a recommendation from the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual Assault. That task force was established as the university’s reaction to criticism of the school’s handling of sexual assault complaints.

In the fall 2014 academic year, KU students and activists pressured university officials to take action against sexual assaults that had gone unreported and unaddressed.

KU chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little established the task force, and the university has spent the past year addressing 27 recommendations, including mandatory sexual assault awareness training for students, faculty and staff.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 11:46 AM with the headline "University of Kansas hires sexual assault prevention director."