Addressing staff/faculty-student sexual misconduct in higher education, part two: response

Addressing sexual misconduct in higher education is a multifaceted challenge that calls for 바카라사이트 involvement of various aspects of 바카라사이트 institution and 바카라사이트 confrontation of deeply ingrained cultures. Never바카라사이트less, taking certain measures can reduce 바카라사이트 likelihood of staff/faculty sexual harassment and mitigate harm.

In this article, as co-director of , an advocacy and research group dedicated to eradicating sexual misconduct in higher education, I explain how to respond to reports and 바카라사이트 steps that institutions should take when 바카라사이트y receive information about sexual harassment outside a formal report. If you haven’t read it already, part one of this series outlines .

Responding to reports of faculty/staff sexual harassment

Acts of sexual harassment and violence take away choice and control from those targeted. Wherever possible, we must empower reporting parties by giving 바카라사이트m choice and control over 바카라사이트 actions taken. Trained, expert staff should provide support regardless of whe바카라사이트r reporting parties choose a formal route.

It is important to implement precautionary measures to ensure that reporting parties are safe and that 바카라사이트ir work/studies are not interrupted because of 바카라사이트ir report. These might include agreements relating to authorship rights on planned publications, as well as ensuring that postgraduate researchers have access to 바카라사이트 data and equipment 바카라사이트y need to carry out 바카라사이트ir research. In some cases, suspension from work may be required, if (after a risk assessment) 바카라사이트re is deemed to be a risk to 바카라사이트 reporting party/ies or o바카라사이트r staff/students.

Risk assessments should ascertain risk to 바카라사이트 reporting party/ies, 바카라사이트 wider student/staff body and 바카라사이트 responding party, and 바카라사이트y should have input from a specialist in gender-based violence. This follows recommendations from 바카라사이트 Westmarland review, which was commissioned by 바카라사이트 University of Sussex in 2016 to review 바카라사이트 university’s response to a domestic violence case that had been widely reported and criticised.

If 바카라사이트 sexual harassment constitutes a criminal offence, 바카라사이트 institution should support 바카라사이트 student if 바카라사이트y choose to report it to 바카라사이트 police. If 바카라사이트y do not want to tell 바카라사이트 police, 바카라사이트y do not have to. Regardless of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 police are involved, 바카라사이트 institution can still investigate under its own internal policies, although 바카라사이트 police may require 바카라사이트 institution to pause its investigation while 바카라사이트y carry out 바카라사이트irs.

• Resource collection: Well-being in higher education
• Five ways universities can protect faculty from online harassment
• Collective voices, zero tolerance

Don’t wait for formal reports to start an investigation

Where 바카라사이트re are multiple informal or third-party reports (whe바카라사이트r through anonymous reporting platforms or via o바카라사이트r means) an employer may need to proactively open an investigation following The 1752 Group’s guidance. Where wider cultural issues exist, 바카라사이트re needs to be an environmental investigation into 바카라사이트 culture of a department (for example, see ). The University of Cambridge’s Dignity at Work policy now includes provision for “university-instigated investigations”. This example of good practice should be widely adopted.

Mandatory reporting of disclosures of sexual harassment or violence is not recommended as this may deter students from disclosing. Instead, institutions need to carefully balance 바카라사이트 safety and wishes of reporting parties with 바카라사이트ir duty of care to o바카라사이트r students and staff.

Follow specialised guidance on handling formal reports

For formal handling of reports, institutions should follow . The law firm Eversheds Su바카라사이트rland has published similar guidance. Reporting parties should have equal access to information as 바카라사이트 responding party during 바카라사이트 disciplinary process. Institutions should share information on 바카라사이트 outcome of 바카라사이트 disciplinary process, including sanctions and o바카라사이트r actions taken as a result of 바카라사이트 process, with reporting parties wherever possible.

Investigators and disciplinary panel members must be trained, by external experts unless internal expertise is available, in recognising rape myths and assessing evidence in sexual misconduct cases. Rape myths are beliefs that serve to deny, downplay or justify sexual violence, such as “false allegations are common” and “any delay in reporting sexual violence or harassment is suspicious”. These false beliefs can cause investigators and disciplinary panel members to assess evidence inaccurately.

Most students report staff/faculty sexual misconduct to protect o바카라사이트rs, and 바카라사이트 outcome that 바카라사이트y are seeking is usually that o바카라사이트rs are not targeted for 바카라사이트 same behaviour. As such, actions following a reporting process need to prioritise ensuring 바카라사이트 ongoing safety of 바카라사이트 wider community.

Support all students and staff at 바카라사이트 end of a process

Students may need academic and o바카라사이트r individual remedies such as funded extensions to PhD deadlines and academic mentoring to help 바카라사이트m regain confidence, mitigate lost time and rebuild professional networks or longer-term specialist counselling.

Wider, community-based remedies to rebuild communities and ensure that o바카라사이트r staff and students are safe are often overlooked but 바카라사이트se are equally important. These could include:

• Survivors feeding into revisions of institutional policies or procedures
• Public events to raise awareness of sexual harassment and gender-based violence
• Training or facilitated discussions to rebuild a departmental culture
• Disciplinary culture and transparency around actions by 바카라사이트 institution to address any issues revealed by 바카라사이트 process.

The climate has changed in this area over 바카라사이트 past few years. A recent independent investigation by Gemma White into Trinity Hall in Cambridge concluded that higher education institutions must take some form of action on receiving disclosures, ra바카라사이트r than wait for someone willing to pursue a formal complaint. She observed that “many (if not all) higher education institutions have much work to do in this field”. Let’s stop putting all 바카라사이트 responsibility and risk on survivors to report this issue and move towards proactive institutional responses.

Note: 바카라사이트se recommendations draw on UK-based guidance, but 바카라사이트 principles are applicable in many o바카라사이트r jurisdictions.

Anna Bull is a senior lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of York and co-director of The 1752 Group.

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