In October 2018, the Students’ Union (SUSU), in collaboration with the Sexual Consent Awareness Society, launched a student survey on the subject of sexual harassment, assault and rape. The survey ran until the end of March 2019 and received 857 responses.
Following the results of the survey, our University set up a working group with SUSU, chaired by Kerry Matthews (Director of Student Services), to produce a joint action plan. The University’s Sexual Harassment Working Group includes representation from both SUSU and the University (Student Services, Student and Academic Administration, the Schools of Business & Law, and Corporate Communications). The working group was launched in February 2019, alongside a strategic steering group chaired by Ian Dunn and has also been working on developments in response to the survey’s results.
Laura Barr, SUSU Vice-President Welfare and Communities, explains:
“We encourage students who experience any kind of inappropriate behaviour or misconduct to let SUSU and the University know, so that they can access support, as well as report this to the university. This was motivated by the sexual violence work we have done, but this work applies to all incidents and behaviours outside of this.
“We encourage them to come forward so that we can adequately investigate, and we have recently received training dedicated to this topic so that members in student discipline, and other staff members, are educated on this subject.
“We understand how hard it is for victims, survivors and people impacted by misconduct and negative behaviour to come forward. We also recognise how difficult it is to go through investigative processes, and we are working on ensuring this process is as supportive and informed as possible.”
Fundamental to the development of new processes, the steering group has approved a specific definition of ‘sexual misconduct’, ensuring clarity over what the University deems to be inappropriate behaviour by our students.
To encourage disclosure, a new joint reporting tool between the University and SUSU, which students can use to make reports anonymously, has been launched. In addition, frontline Student Services staff have received specialist trauma training to help them support students who may have experienced sexual assault. Further training will be rolled out across the University during 2020.
As well as ensuring students feel confident that their experiences will be managed safely and appropriately through the provision of new tools, processes and support, as a community, we all need to commit to speaking out against inappropriate behaviour. Where appropriate, staff should signpost students to the reporting tool, or to the student non-academic discipline team (email: [email protected]), so that they can access the right support. There are also a wealth of other support services available, including SUSU’s Advice Centre.
Kerry Matthews, Director of Student Services, said:
“This has been a brilliant example of what we can achieve, when we work together. The working group has consisted of colleagues across the University and Student Union and we have been able to work together to quickly develop and achieve our joint action plan. I look forward to us continuing to develop this work over the coming year.”
Laura added:
“It’s been heart-warming to have followed this project from its inception when I was a student volunteering for SUSU, to becoming a Sabbatical Officer for SUSU.
“I am proud of everyone involved, everyone who has supported the survivors at this University, everybody that has identified the gaps in that support and been brave enough to self-reflect, and every student who has supported this project, uplifting each other in the process.
“We are leading on this conversation compared to many other Universities and Unions, and it is down to the positive working relationship we have with each other that plays to our strengths, and keeps students, survivors and victims of incidents at the heart of what we do.”
If you have any questions about the University’s ongoing work around combating harassment and sexual assault, please contact Emma Rowsell (Associate Director – Student Health and Wellbeing) by emailing: [email protected] – for questions around SUSU’s ongoing work, please email Laura Barr, SUSU’s Vice-President Welfare and Communities: [email protected]
