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Utah State University has settled with a former student who was raped on campus for a quarter of a million dollars and agreed to a number of changes to its sexual assault policies.
Victoria Hewlett, the survivor, sued the university alleging that the institution bungled her case, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Hewlett will join a team of other victims, experts and advocates to advise the university on issues of sexual misconduct, according to the newspaper.
Hewlett alleged in her lawsuit that her rapist, Jason Relopez, a former member of the campus chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity, had assaulted five other women on campus but that the institution failed to act despite the attacks being reported.
Eventually he was suspended from the university after he was arrested and pleaded guilty to rape and forcible sexual abuse.
The settlement effectively ends Hewlett’s lawsuit against the university and includes a requirement that sororities and fraternities, which were separate entities from the institution, apply for official affiliation. A full-time coordinator will be hired to oversee the Greek system.
