University of Iowa President Sally Mason addressed concerns over comments she made about sexual assault during a university event today. Mason said in an interview with the student newspaper, the Daily Iowan, that the goal of the school is to never have another sexual assault occur — and then added it’s probably “not a realistic goal given human nature.”
The comment prompted a group to start a petition, “Not in My Nature,” and members gathered in an on-campus protest Monday. They said Mason’s comments took the blame off the person committing the assault. Mason spoke today at a regular campus briefing where she said “I have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. I know that sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor.” She said her words caused pain to some on campus and she apologized for that.
Mason plans to hold a listening session on the issue Thursday from 3:30-5 p.m. in the second-floor ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union.