EXEPOSÉ
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ISSUE 669 22 MAY 2017 exepose.com @Exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
Student support: who joins up the dots? Individuals have raised concerns with regard to the signposting of services for those reporting assault and harassment to the university CN: Some discussion of sexual assault
Susannah Keogh & Jessica Stanier News Team
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EXCLUSIVE
IGNPOSTING of safety and support services for those who allege assault or harassment has been criticised by young women currently studying at Exeter, who have shared their concerns with Exeposé. It was stated that current procedures did not make it clear where to turn following their allegations of sexual assault, harassment, or bullying. One has said she was advised not to pursue the formal complaint procedure by the University on the basis that it would be too traumatic. The students speaking to Exeposé claimed that the University has not responded to their reports satisfactorily, not necessarily due to poor services but due to ineffective signposting and lack of training. Exeposé has investigated how these concerns are addressed by current policies and future policy changes. We have also clarified the remit of relevant support services with the University [see page 5]. One student, Beth*, said she was referred to the Wellbeing services after she confided in a staff member. “You’d never look to find these [support services] out until you need them”, she said. She continued to highlight the lack of communication between parties involved in her case as a key issue.
Beth* said she wasn’t offered a Welfare case worker or made aware that the Students’ Guild Advice Unit could have helped her with mitigation. “There was no one to walk me through the mitigation process and it was horrible - I didn’t know I could email.” “If I had someone to help me through then maybe they could help tell the relevant parties. I don’t need pity, I need [the University] to actually protect me. I’m so angry because I know it isn’t my fault.” Beth* said she has found herself being approached by those in her friendship circle for advice. “I don’t want to be this ambassador for it but that’s what I’ve become. You’ve got to tell them to go through the process because it is ultimately helpful, but you also know that it’s going to be painful and they may not get what they need from it.” She was reliant on a departmental member of staff who sympathised but had not been trained to guide her to the relevant student services. “Pastoral care wasn’t her job but knowing she was in the building somewhere meant that she ‘got it’. The people who helped me the most shouldn’t have had to.” Beth* said she would have particularly benefited from more available trained staff. “You need a person for the next year [after an assault] at least, even if it’s just someone who works on the same corridor - someone with whom you don’t have to ask if you can see them.” Beth’s experience is not an isolated case. Other students told Exeposé that they also feel current services
are not being signposted sufficiently. Daisy* said that everyone she spoke with was “very supportive” and “incredibly nice” when she was seeking help with mitigation. However, she said she ended up repeatedly explaining her circumstances which made things difficult: “By the time I had been referred to a welfare officer, I had spoken to three different people, outlining my situation three times, which was not helpful in my situation at all.” The second time Daisy* needed help with mitigation she ended up relying on a friend to help her through the process of applying. “I didn’t know who to contact for which problems, so I was relying on another student who had already figured out the system to help me,” she said. “[This student] also explained to me how the mitigation process works and encouraged me to apply, because I did not realise that I was eligible.” While it worked out well for me, it certainly would not have had I not had a friend to guide me through all the paperwork,” Daisy* said, reflecting on the current signposting of support services. “People who are looking for support for the first time would have a hard time finding it. There are many options, but you have to look for them and contact a lot of people before you know where you have to go.” “She told Exeposé that she was not aware of “most of the services. available” prior to requiring mitigation, including Welfare Caseworkers and the Students’ Guild Advice Unit, and was unclear on the role of her personal tutor.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 *Names changed to protect anonymity
MUSIC
ARTS + LIT
Local festivals take centre stage PAGEs 22-23
EXEPOSÉ urges anyone who has been affected by sexual assault, harassment, violence or bullying of any kind to seek support within the University and the Guild as well as with the police. A list of services and contact details can be found at the end of this article.
Interview with Julia Samuel
Image: Max Pixel
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