Students at St. Francis Xavier University are challenging the university's policy regarding sexual assault on campus -- accusing the school of failing to protect those who've been assaulted.

On Saturday, about 40 protestors confronted university president Kent MacDonald while he was speaking at an open house.

They're upset with how the university handled an alleged sexual assault earlier this year.

The accused rapist returned to campus and a young woman who was the complainant felt compelled to leave the school.

Both are no longer St. F.X. students.

Protestors say victims must be supported and believed.

“I guess we've reached the last straw,” said St. F.X. student Addy Strickland. “People are fed up and so, people are starting to take action.”

On Friday, the university president issued a letter to the campus community, admitting the administration could have done better.

MacDonald says he had no problem with the action taken on the weekend.

“And so, I give those students, and the others who joined them, complete credit for voicing their thoughts on Saturday,” MacDonald said. “They did it in a respectful way.”

The student union president says they'll be working to advocate for sexual violence prevention and policy improvements.

“The purpose is to show students that we're there for them, that we're advocating on their behalf and that the work never stops from our perspective,” said student union president Rebecca Mesay.

St. F.X. has always prided itself on being one of the top undergraduate universities in the country. There are some people asking if this issue may be damaging the university's reputation.

“Well, I’m less worried about that,” MacDonald said. “I'm more concerned about our students on this campus right now. How they feel. Do they feel safe? Do they feel their voices are being heard?”

MacDonald says the sexualized violence prevention committee is meeting this week and discussing the information they received as they work on policy and the university code of conduct.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh.