ON CAMPUS
campusreview.com.au
One student described an instance where
a resident fellow who made a complaint
was “bullied out of the university”.
Another said: “Everyone who wanted to
report something was too afraid to because
it was like social suicide.”
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
Victim blaming, tribalism
Findings from sexual assault review
into UNE’s residential colleges.
By Dallas Bastian
“ R
eported one incident and was told
that without evidence I should just
forget what happened.”
This quote, given by a University of New
England student to the Australian Human
Rights Commission, highlights one of the
harmful attitudes unpacked in a review of
the university’s residential colleges.
About a third of the residents who
responded to the commission’s survey
disclosed that they had experienced sexual
harassment while residing at their college,
with the majority of reported incidents
taking place within college grounds.
The rate of sexual harassment was 2.5
times higher for female residents.
The review aimed to understand the
culture at each of the seven UNE colleges
and the factors that contribute to the risk
of sexual assault and sexual harassment
within, as well as barriers to reporting.
One such issue uncovered was that
women had been held responsible for their
experiences of sexual assault or sexual
harassment.
One student described a situation where
a resident was assaulted while under the
influence of alcohol and was told by the
head of college that “maybe she shouldn’t
have been drinking and putting herself in
that position”.
Another said: “The male who sexually
assaulted/harassed me was not fined,
was not even spoken to by anyone … he
received no punishment at all. However, I
was forced (my room was packed up for
me) to move floors, leaving behind the
friends I had made, going into a whole new
environment …
“It was the most depressing, lonely and
unforgiving time of my life.”
A third student described an incident
in which a male student entered her
room while she was sleeping, jumped on
top of her and started kissing her. When
the student reported the incident to her
residential fellow, she was told: “You
probably should just lock your door when
you’re asleep.”
Students also expressed a lack of
confidence in the reporting practices of
sexual assault and sexual harassment.
“If [victims] know it’s not going to be
handled well, why bother?” one said.
SOCIAL SUICIDE
College residents also raised concerns
about the confidentiality and likelihood
of rumours around experiences of sexual
assault and sexual harassment.
“At the moment, if a victim was to report
anything, there would be no confidentiality
or additional protection,” one resident said.
“He or she would straight away become
the subject of rumours and discussions.”
The commission also uncovered a
culture of tribalism within the residential
colleges, one that might influence
decisions about reporting sexual assault
and harassment.
“Residents may be hesitant or fearful of
reporting their experiences due to concerns
that they may appear disloyal to the ‘tribe’
and be ostracised,” the report read.
The commission put forward 28
recommendations based on its work.
Meanwhile, it reminded the university that,
as far as possible, any sexual assault or
harassment investigation should be timely
and streamlined to minimise potential
trauma to the victim or alleged perpetrator.
“You’ve got an alleged victim, an alleged
perpetrator, if not living in the same
colleges, still in their lecture theatres, in
their classes, while the incident is being
resolved,” one interviewee said. “And that’s
a very real problem.”
UNE said it will implement all the
recommendations that relate to the
university from the report, while
independently operated St Albert’s
College agreed to implement the three
recommendations that specifically
related to it.
The university’s vice-chancellor Professor
Annabelle Duncan added that of the
25 recommendations relating to UNE’s
colleges, work is completed or underway to
meet 17 of them.
In her foreword, sex discrimination
commissioner Kate Jenkins commended
UNE’s effort to commission an independent,
expert-led review.
“It is encouraging to see a university take
ownership of the issues and demonstrate
its commitment to this work through its
ongoing and meaningful involvement in the
review,” Jenkins said.
The male who sexually
assaulted/harassed me was
not fined, was not even spoken
to by anyone … he received no
punishment at all.
“This is indicative of strong leadership
and governance and is crucial to effecting
cultural change.”
She also thanked the student residents
and staff who participated in interviews
and focus groups, completed the survey or
made a submission. ■
25