A Kansas University sexual assault task force Friday met for the first time and decided to tackle at least four major issues: prevention, survivor support, research and the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

“We have a very good opportunity to make some positive changes,” said task force co-chair Alesha Doan, who is chair of the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and associate professor of political science.

KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little formed the task force amid a public outcry from some students that the school was failing to properly investigate allegations of sexual assault and punish alleged assailants.

KU is one of 76 schools nationwide being investigated by federal officials on whether it adequately investigates incidents of sexual violence. Personal accounts from students about sexual assaults on campus have also pushed the issue to the forefront.

At the start of Friday’s meeting, Gray-Little said she thought KU’s process of investigating complaints met federal standards but said the school could perhaps do better.

Sexual assault and sexual harassment are “too prevalent on our campus,” she said. Gray-Little added that she formed the task force because some members of our community think “justice is not adequately served.”

The 11-member task force, made up of faculty, staff and students, is supposed to recommend changes to school policies on sexual assault by the end of the academic year.

But some on the panel recommended trying to implement changes sooner.

“All of the language I am hearing from students is that we want action as quickly as possible,” said Jacob McMillian, a third-year law student.

Angela Murphy, co-chair of the task force and a student in the English Department, said she wanted to explore the possibility of increasing the number of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners at the Watkins Memorial Health Center. Currently there is only one, Murphy said.

And she said the school needs a “victim advocate” who could help victims of sexual assault navigate the investigation process at KU.

The task force decided it would try to meet once every two weeks. The next meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 10 and is open to the public.

Initially, Gray-Little, who is not a member of the task force, said she hoped the panel would be able to solicit input from individuals who have been through the sexual assault and harassment investigation process. But, she said, because the task force’s meetings were public, she didn’t think that was possible during meetings.

Task force members said they would consider ways to look into the investigative process without learning of the identities of victims.