Mormon University tells students: We will not accuse you of breaking our ‘honour code’ if you report rape or sexual assault

Brigham Young University is in the process of changing its rule book to make sure victims of sexual assault are not sanctioned for drinking or having sexual relations

Rape survivor student at the university said she felt 'on top of the world' when she read the new policies (AP)

A Mormon University in Utah is in the process of changing its policies to ensure students who report rape or sexual assault will not be accused of violating of the university’s "honour code".

Brigham Young University was widely condemned earlier this year when a student who reported her alleged rape was accused by the university of falling foul of their Christian code which prohibits sex outside of marriage.

The University has now released a 34-page report which promises students they will not be punished if they admit to having drunk alcohol or extramarital sex around the time of the assault.

The four-person advisory panel - whose recommendations still need to be approved by other panels before becoming permanent - said that how they handle the reporting of sexual assault is "a complicated and evolving issue".

University president Kevin Worthen wrote in an email to students that their “top priority” was the safety and well-being of their students.

"This is particularly true for those who have been the victims of sexual assault," he wrote.

"They have been through a devastating experience, and they are looking for our help and support.

"We have an obligation not only to provide that support, both emotional and spiritual, but also to create an environment where sexual assault is eliminated."

Madi Barney, the student who chose to identify herself to the press after reporting her rape, told the Daily Universe that she felt "on top of the world" after reading the report.

"I felt like crying because I was so happy. I saw the part with the amnesty clause in it, and my jaw literally dropped," Ms Barney said.

Her petition in April to stop students being punished after reporting sexual assault reached 117,000 signatures.

The report comes amid a nation-wide investigation by the Justice Department into public US colleges and universities to see how institutions handle sexual assault reporting and whether they still deserve federal funding, after it was discovered that one in five women will be sexually assaulted while on campus.

Brigham Young said in the report that it will also employ a full-time Title IX coordinator, upgrading the position from part time, as well as a confidential adviser position, to encourage more students to come forward.

It will also move the Title IX office, which investigates cases of discrimination based on gender, to a separate building from the honour code office, and the offices will not share information on cases.

"We do not have all the answers to this problem, which is a nationwide issue affecting all colleges and universities.

"But this report provides an excellent framework on which to build," wrote Mr Worthen.