The safety and wellbeing of our campus community is of utmost importance to Baylor University. The Department of Public Safety has made tremendous strides strengthening campus safety and security over the past few years.

Throughout the 2016-17 academic year, staff at the Baylor University Counseling Center have met with over 2,000 individual students. This represents a 62 percent increase from last year and is a direct result of opening a second facility on campus, which made possible the hiring of more staff and the increased provision of a range of counseling services.

The partnership between the Baylor University Police Department (BUPD) and the Waco Advocacy Center is a steadfast alliance that has sought to bring about change in response to sexual assaults.

In a world that can feel unsafe to a sexual assault victim, Liz Noble provides a safe place. She is Baylor’s new Advocate for Students.

To provide trauma-informed care means you must suspend any sense of disbelief and assume the victim is telling the truth – even if the victim’s account is disjointed and imprecise.

“As legal proceedings continue, Baylor University maintains its right to present facts – as available to the institution – in response to the many allegations contained in these cases. This legal response in no way changes Baylor’s position that any assault involving members of our campus community is reprehensible and inexcusable. The University remains committed to eliminating all forms of sexual and gender-based harassment and discrimination within our campus community.”

An external review of the Baylor Police Department by Margolis Healy & Associates resulted in the reorganization and enhancement of the Baylor University Police Department, including the hiring of a new police chief.

Baylor’s vice president for facilities and operations, Brian Nicholson, sent an email to students, faculty and staff Wednesday afternoon with information about improvements Baylor’s Department of Public Safety has made since commissioning the review.

I knew that sexual assault was happening at Baylor University. I chose to be a part of the 2020 class anyway.

Column by Megan Garland, a freshman journalism student at Baylor University.

The safety and wellbeing of the campus community is of utmost importance to Baylor University.

When I accepted the job as Baylor University’s vice president and director of Athletics last summer, there was no shortage of people — including some of my closest friends — who questioned my decision.

Over the past three years, Baylor University has made a significant investment in leadership, staffing and training in the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to establish a professional public safety operation that pursues excellence in all things.

The Baylor Counseling Center has long offered students a wide array of services to support student well-being, but the University’s action plan presented an opportunity to dramatically enhance Baylor’s caring community and take mental health services to the next level.

Baylor’s Title IX Office, leadership and administration are committed to continuing to adapt to federal mandates and recommendations as a deeper campus understanding of Title IX and the requirements placed on educational institutions continue to take shape and to ensuring the University provides a caring community and safe campus for the entire Baylor Family.

Baylor University continues to be aware of the Bears for Leadership Reform’s views. Today’s statements by the BLR ignore the considerable progress the Baylor Board of Regents has made to create greater visibility into the governance of the University, as well as to combat the issue of sexual assault.