For the first time, the Big 12 handed down sanctions for Baylor's sexual assault scandal. The conference board of directors voted unanimously Wednesday to withhold 25 percent of its future funding to Baylor. That’s pending an outside review of changes to the school's athletic department.
"The Board is unified in establishing a process to verify that proper institutional controls are in place and sustainable," University of Oklahoma president and Big 12 Conference Board of Directors chairman David Boren said in a statement released Wednesday. “The Board desires to ensure that the changes that were promised are actually made and that systems are in place to avoid future problems."
Baylor was not included in the vote.
NBC 5 traveled to Waco on Wednesday to hear how students are responding.
Many students are having a tough time with all the negative attention on campus. Those with whom NBC 5 spoke said the focus needs to be on the growing number of victims of sexual assault. But there are mixed feelings about the university's response.
"It's a tough subject to deal with," said Baylor freshman Jadeyn King.
Tough, but impossible to avoid on Baylor's campus.
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"It's on us, just as much as it is the leadership or anything else," said junior Ryne Bernal.
They want to know what to do about the growing number of sexual assault cases.
"At the end of the day it's about the victims and what happened to them and making ourselves knowledgeable and aware," said sophomore Sarah Rost.
A recent lawsuit by a victim alleges there were 52 rapes by 31 different football players over the past four years.
The staggering numbers sparked a silent protest. Students posted paper cutouts around campus labeled one through 52 and asking how many more will there be?
"Just lately it feels like Baylor's reputation is more important than the safety and well-being of its students because they have been covering everything up,” said freshman Julie Hang. "They haven't been forthcoming."
That distrust deepened with a new legal filing last week, revealing that former head football coach Art Briles knew about several cases of misconduct and may have tried to cover them up.
Some outraged students now even support canceling the football program.
"I think that if they did rule that, I would see it as an appropriate fit," said junior Luke Richard.
Others feel the university is already doing what it can to make it right.
"I still have trust in the administration because they're doing what's necessary," said senior Megan Sarsfield.
Sophomore Athan Attia added, "They've made a lot of progressive steps, hired a new director, a new coach, every student goes through Title IX training."
Students are stepping up to have a say in where they go from here.
"It'll come down to a culture change, and so we'll see if that can happen or not," said Bernal.
No one from the university was willing to speak on camera Wednesday but Baylor Interim President David E. Garland released the following statement:
"Upon learning the scope and scale of the troubling incidents that occurred within our campus community through an independent investigation, Baylor University took unprecedented corrective actions that led to leadership changes within the University administration and athletic department and 105 recommendations to strengthen the safety and security of our students. No other university in the country has responded as aggressively and decisively as Baylor regarding incidents of sexual assaults on its campus.
"Under the University’s new leadership, Baylor has demonstrated a firm commitment to athletics compliance and integrity, increased awareness and prevention of sexual assault, implementation of Title IX best practices and providing comprehensive support services for any student in need of them. Baylor already had planned to hire an outside auditor to audit the implementation of our enhanced practices, and we welcome the Big 12 Conference’s request of an independent review. While the withholding of conference distributions is an unexpected financial event, we do not deem these actions to materially impact the overall financial position of the University. We pledge our full cooperation, and we will work with the Big 12 Conference to conduct the audit as expeditiously as possible.
"This third-party review at the request of the Big 12 Conference will provide an opportunity for us to demonstrate our progress to date and our ongoing commitment in establishing Baylor as a leading institution in athletics compliance and governance and for preventing and addressing sexual assaults on college campuses."
The sanctions against Baylor are the first by the Big 12 since the school and athletic department were hit by allegations of mishandling assault cases.
The university has since enacted 105 recommendations, including adding more than $4 million to improve how sexual assault cases are reported.
Baylor fired coach Art Briles last year and parted ways with university President Ken Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw after an investigation by a law firm found allegations of sexual assault brought to the school were not dealt with appropriately.
There is also a federal Title IX investigation ongoing.
The Big 12 paid out about $30 million to each conference member last year.
AP college football writer Ralph D. Russo contributed to this report.
