College administrators and free-speech advocacy groups aren’t the only ones alarmed over the federal government’s new sexual assault and harassment rules under Title IX; students are now voicing their concerns about updates that include requirements from the new federal rules.

The Daily Bruin student reporter Kendall Mitchell reports on the worries expressed by University of California – Los Angeles student leaders.

Some student leaders have voiced concerns about recent changes to the Student Code of Conduct, including a portion of the code that outlines how the university handles sexual assaults.

The Office of the Dean of Students implemented several updates to the code on Friday, as part of a routine revision process. Changes to the code are based on feedback from students and administrators, as well as state and federal policies, said Debra Geller, executive director of community standards in the Office of the Dean of Students.

The additions to the code keep it compliant with guidelines in the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, a new law that defines a university’s procedures for sexually-based violence, including assault and stalking.

Administrators implemented changes that further define the roles of campus advocates and support persons. Campus advocates are trained campus officials who counsel students involved in a disciplinary hearing, while support persons are usually friends, family members or attorneys who provide a support system to students in the hearing.

The updated code acknowledges the role of alcohol during sexual assaults.

The changes also call for people involved with sexual assault hearings to not take into account the sexual history of the people involved.

Savannah Badalich, the Undergraduate Students Association Council Student Wellness commissioner, said she thinks that the administration has made huge strides in updating the code, specifically by including alcohol’s role in consent and not looking into the sexual history of the people involved in a hearing.

Still, one of her main concerns is the code’s definition of “effective consent,” which did not change in this year’s update.

As of now, the Code of Conduct defines “effective consent” as “words or actions that show a knowing agreement to engage in mutually agreed-upon sexual activity.”

Badalich said she thinks the phrase makes the nature of consent ambiguous and does not want victims of sexual assault to feel like they are to blame for their attack.

“(The change) undermines the progress of the administration,” Badalich said.

Badalich said she has talked to administrators about the phrasing of “effective consent” since the initial drafts of the code, and was hoping that it would be changed.