ASWSU is continuing to work toward changing the sexual assault policy regarding athletes, after university administration denied initial suggestions.

ASWSU President Jordan Frost sent a letter urging WSU President Kirk Schulz and Athletic Director Bill Moos to change the policy to include preventing the recruitment of any athlete with a history of sexual violence. Specifically, it referred to those who have pleaded guilty to or been convicted of dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual harassment, rape, sexual assault or sexual violence.

Though he wrote that it wasn’t the only solution, it would act as a significant step in the right direction.

“The safety of our students and the surrounding community is our paramount duty as leaders, and we believe this policy will not only prevent future offenses of sexual violence, but will also send a message that Washington State University is serious about combating this issue,” he wrote. “It is important that one of the most visible and foundational departments at our university take a harsh stance against those who commit such violent acts.”

He later met with a number of WSU and Athletics representatives, including Vice President of Student Affairs Mary Jo Gonzales, Deputy Director of Athletics Anne McCoy and Executive Director for Compliance Kimberly Anderson, to discuss the issue.

Frost said some administrators didn’t believe the problem existed, while others thought it was targeting African-American men.

Overall, Frost said it was a very negative experience, and the administration was generally unsupportive of the change. However, he said they plan to meet with administrators in October to discuss different issues, and he hopes they can address this issue as well.

Though Frost said he believes sexual assault occurs across all demographics and isn’t necessarily a large problem in WSU Athletics currently, he said this policy change can be an opportunity for WSU to prevent future assaults and to take a leadership role in creating safer campuses across the nation.

“We can always be better,” he said. “We can always do more.”

Phil Weiler, WSU vice president for marketing and communications, said though he hasn’t been briefed recently, he knew Anderson and the Office of Equal Opportunity have been working on updating the sexual assault policy.

He said the Pac-12 has been working on updating the sexual assault policy in regards to athletics specifically, but that he did not know if the university is working on changes in that area.