Concrete 316

Page 1

Caroline Lucas >P4

Winter in Norwich >P13 3rd November 2015 Issue 316

concrete-online.co.uk @Concrete_UEA ConcreteNewspaper

Silent minority: chronic underreporting of sexual harassment >> Only 11 incidents of sexual harassment were reported at UEA during Welcome Week Jessica Frank-Keyes and Felicity Stephenson News editor and news reporter The NUS has claimed that 20% of students experience sexual harassment during their first week at university. Further, 66% of students don’t know how to report it. UUEAS has declined to indicate whether it could have done more to raise awareness of sexual harassment after only a handful of students at UEA reported sexual harasment during Welcome Week. The Union of UEA Students (UUEAS) has said that only “11 incidents... [of] sexual harassment within our venues” were recorded during UEA’s Welcome Week. The incidents included “staff-witnessed harassing language and behaviour and some incidents reported to us. In each case support was given to victims where possible and identified perpetrators have been subject to action proportionate to the offence including warnings and/or temporary bans in accordance with our Code of Conduct”. According to the NUS, nationwide a further 29% of the students witnessed sexual harassment during this time. The most common forms of harassment were rape jokes, unwanted sexual comments and heckling in clubs. 59% of these incidents happened at social events or nightclubs

UEA rugby player sentenced for sustained attack on soldier Sam McKinty News editor The former equality and diversity champion of the men’s rugby team was involved in an assault with a member of the public on Prince Wales Road earlier this year and has been sentenced at Norwich Crown Court. Alistair Zeffertt, a 19-year-old, second-

A Never OK poster in the Red Bar Photo: Jessica Frank-Keyes, Concrete Photography and just over a third happened in halls of residence. Another issue that emerged from the NUS survey is many students’ lack of knowledge about how to report an incident. Over 60% of the students stated that they were not made

aware of any codes of conducts implemented by their university, and a 66% did not know the procedure to follow in order to report these incidents. 12% of students thought that even if they reported the incident, they would not be taken seriously.

year History student, became involved in an altercation earlier this year. The victim, a serving soldier, had been ejected from a Prince of Wales Road nightclub when he first came in contact with Zeffertt. The court heard how, according to the prosecuting lawyer Chris Youell, there was a disagreement between the pair that quickly escalted into a physical confontation. Youell said that Zeffertt became aggressive after being told to “kill himself” by the victim. Zeffertt then proceeded to carry out what was described as a “sustained assault”. The attack took place on Cathedral Street, just off of the Prince of Wales road, in the early hours of the morning on 5th June this year. Assaults on Prince of Wales are extremely commonplace in comparrison to the rest of Norwich. Since 2005, there has been a reported 210% rise in the number of violent

crimes reported in Norwich between 03:00 and 06:00, the typical leaving times for clubbers. According to Norwich City Council,

210

%

The rise in violent crimes reported in Norwich between the hours of 03:00 and 06:00 since 2005

the Prince of Wales Road accounts for 60% of all reported violent crime Norwich. Court documents indicate that the victim was punched at least six times during the attack, which led to him being knocked to the floor. Zeffertt then proceeded to kick the victim in the head. He continued the attack despite efforts by his friends to pull him away. The victim suffered a black eye, a chipped tooth, and abrasions to the face. Zeffertt admitted causing Actual Bodily

A union source told Concrete that “it may not surprise you to learn that students coming forward to venue staff during Welcome Week were very low. This is common across students unions, where students that aren’t aware of schemes don’t automatically assume that venue staff would help”. UUEAS declined to indicate whether concerted extra effort was put into preventing sexual harassment during Welcome Week, aside from publicising the Good Night Out scheme. A spokesperson said: “Posters and flyers making clear that students can and should come forward regarding sexual harassment under the auspices of the Good Night Out scheme were deployed in Welcome Week. However, as is the experience from other unions, we get little take up until later in the term”. UUEAS Community, Welfare and Diversity Officer, Jo Swo, told Concrete: “I take Never OK and sexual harassment really seriously... UUEAS has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment. Our posters were created to inform people what sexual harassment is and to dispel the myths that surround and protect sexual harassment”. She insisted that the union’s priority is to ensure “students are safe in the city as well as on campus… We want to really change the nightlife culture that makes [harassment] acceptable”. Continued on page 3 Harm in interview earlier this year and, according to reports in the Eastern Daily Press, sobbed as the judge read out his sentence. Richard Wood, the defence lawyer, told that court that Zeffertt’s actions were “hugely out of character” for the defendant, who has “no previous convictions” and had demonstrated remorse throughout. Zeffertt was sentenced to a 12-month community order of 200 hours unpaid community work, who told Zeffertt that he should be “ashamed” of his actions, but added that he would “destroy” his life by giving him a custodial sentence, recognising that Zeffertt had shown “considerable remorse” and that the offense was out of character. Zeffertt was also made the subject of a three-month prohibited activity order, banning him from going to Prince of Wales Road between 19:00 and 07:00.


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