The State Board of Regents will hold a special meeting Friday to discuss comments on sexual assault made by University of Iowa President Sally Mason. The agenda says the board will discuss Mason’s remarks followed by a closed session of the board.
The remarks came in an interview with the student newspaper, the Daily Iowan, where Mason aid the goal of the school is to never have another sexual assault occur on campus — she then added it’s probably “not a realistic goal given human nature.” That comment prompted a protest by a group that said Mason’s comments took the blame off the person committing the assault.
Mason addressed the issue during a regular campus briefing Tuesday, saying her comments caused pain to some on campus and she apologized for that. She also said “I have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. I know that sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor.”
Mason is holding a forum on the issue today. A spokesperson for the Board of Regents says it is her understanding the meeting was a “unanimous request of the board.”