K-State family,
Many of you are aware that K-State has seen national news attention this week. As many of you may have heard, on April 20, two K-State students filed separate lawsuits against the university, claiming the university did not investigate their accusations of rape. The lawsuits corresponded primarily with K-State’s existing policy that does not allow for the investigation and adjudication of off-campus sexual misconduct. University policy allows for care and resources, but not investigation of off-campus sexual misconduct.
We issued a news release addressing this topic, in which we recognized the bravery it took for each woman to step forward and take action. We want to reiterate that we have the utmost respect for these women and recognize the seriousness of each instance. We appreciate the courage it took to share their experiences with the public.
Moving forward, we stand firm in our stance that change in current policy is necessary to provide a safe atmosphere for all K-State students. We encourage central administration to make changes to allow for investigation and adjudication of off-campus sexual misconduct that affects university life. We will continue to work alongside administration to move forward with these changes.
Additionally, this past week, the membership of the Presidential Search Committee from the Kansas Board of Regents was finalized and there are three student voices represented. I, Jessica Van Ranken, along with Olivia Baalman and Nick Wiggins, will be included in the closed search process to find the next K-State president. A closed search process means it will be entirely confidential. However, we are confident in the members of the committee and believe there is wide representation from areas across the K-State community.
This week we will be finishing off one-on-one meetings with our cabinet members. These meetings have so far been exceedingly beneficial as we have outlined specific goals each member has, and we are excited to meet with the rest of the cabinet to really set the framework for what they will do in their term. Our cabinet members have already hit the ground running, and we couldn’t be more excited to see what they accomplish the rest of our term.
We wish you all the best of luck as we approach dead week and finals. Summer is right around the corner and so many exciting things are happening, such as campus improvements, platform work and summer internships. In the midst of the hectic weeks ahead, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by email or social media if you have any questions, comments or concerns. We are here to listen and to be a resource for other students at all times. You can reach us at jvanran@ksu.edu, tjken@ksu.edu or @KStateSBP_SBVP. As always, we look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Jessica Van Ranken, student body president
Trenton Kennedy, student body vice president
