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New team reviewing sexual assault allegations at GVSU

Posted at 8:16 AM, Feb 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-16 08:16:45-05

ALLENDALE, Mich. (AP) — A criminal case review team has formed to look at sexual assault allegations on or near Grand Valley State University’s Allendale campus.

MLive.com says the update comes after the news organization last year reported some sexual assaults being disclosed to university staff were slow to reach police and some weren’t forwarded to the Ottawa County prosecutor’s office.

The team met last month and will meet monthly. Its members include law enforcement from Grand Valley State and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department, an assistant county prosecutor and the victim advocate from the school’s Women’s Center.

Jesse Bernal, vice president for the division of inclusion and equity at the school, says the partnership will help encourage progress on cases.

The school has said its policies encourage quick reporting of alleged assaults.