THE University of New England has released an independent report into its seven residential colleges, after it was revealed it had the worst rate of on-campus sexual violence in the country.
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The university has implemented 17 of the 28 recommendations as part of the independent review by the Australian Human Rights Commission of factors contributing to sexual violence in its seven residential colleges.
On Tuesday, UNE vice-chancellor Annabelle Duncan released the review which it commissioned in a bid to try and change a toxic culture of aggression, entitlement, and misogyny.
Two years ago, the AHRC's nation-wide survey of universities, Change the Course, showed that UNE had Australia's worst rates of on-campus sexual violence.
St Albert's, an independent Catholic college, was the worst offender, End Rape on Campus Australia's Red Zone Report (2018) revealed. Fresher students were forced to take part in demeaning hazing rituals; sexual predators prowled the corridors; and an alleged sexual assaulter was placed in a leadership position.
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Four per cent of the surveyed 520 UNE students, past and present, claimed to have been sexually assaulted on campus in 2015/16 - nearly two and a half times the national average of 1.6 per cent. Six per cent claimed they had witnessed a sexual assault, while 22.4 per cent said they did not know where to seek support.
An "excessive, harmful, and alienating" drinking culture; victim-blaming, stereotypical gender roles, and predominantly male student leadership all abetted sexual violence on campus, the independent review argued.
"It horrified us to realise that there had been so many incidents of sexual assault on campus," Professor Duncan said.
"We hadn't been aware it was that bad, and we immediately vowed that we would do something to make campus safer and more respectful for everyone."
It horrified us to realise that there had been so many incidents of sexual assault on campus. We hadn't been aware it was that bad, and we immediately vowed that we would do something to make campus safer and more respectful for everyone.
- UNE vice-chancellor Annabelle Duncan
Few students understood what sexual assault or harassment were, while many incidents were not reported. UNE Residential Services and the Student Grievance Unit provided inadequate after-hours support, counselling, or mental health services.
Multiple UNE and college-specific sexual assault and harassment policies led to "fragmented, inconsistent, and ineffective responses". And the lack of CCTV and adequate outdoor lighting made campus dangerous by night.
The new review recommended measures to train student leaders and encourage responsible use of alcohol; support students who had been assaulted; make reporting easier; punish offenders; and increase physical safety around campus.
Professor Duncan was encouraged to see that the university had already implemented 17 of the review's 28 recommendations.
"We didn't wait until we got the results of that report," she said.
THE WAY FORWARD
The university is working on a sexual assault and harassment program, and replacing its confusing policies with a single, streamlined one. It is promoting reporting processes, and reviewing its sexual complaint forms. College heads are expected to notify the Student Grievance Unit of all incidents of sexual violence. Students learn what consent means, the implications of bad behaviour, and how to drink wisely. Lighting and shuttle buses make campus safer.
College leadership committees are meant to have proportional representation of male and female leaders - now trained in the responsibilities of leadership.
"It is not a hierarchy; it is not a position of entitlement," Professor Duncan said. "It is a privilege to be in a position to help other people."
Since introducing their measures last year, Professor Duncan said, more residents reported incidents.
"They are more comfortable to talk about the issues, and that helps us to stamp them out," she said. It was desirable to report all incidents of harassment, not just assault. "Harassment can be the first stage of something getting worse, and we want to know where it happens." UNE will continue to track incidents.
COLLEGE IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS
St Albert's had also agreed to establish a gender equality working group, and engage with standard UNE processes and procedures. The college has already worked hard to make sure students are treated more equitably, Professor Duncan said.
The review recommended that college heads should have more power and funding to deal with sexual violence; and that college should respond to "hazing" more strongly.
UNE should engage after-hours professional support for residents and student leaders; employ more counsellors; redesign the Student Grievance Unit; and introduce policies about sexual themes for social events and parties.
Universities Australia will run another national survey next year. Professor Duncan suspected it would show that the incidence of sexual violence has increased, but its management has improved since the first survey.
Sexual violence towards women on campus reflects the wider world, Professor Duncan believes.
"We need to have a more equal culture; we need to have a society where everyone is treated equally, and with respect," she said.
"I want UNE to lead that culture change - for the whole of our community. Sexual violence is far too prevalent in Australia. We have to take the lead as a university in stamping that out."