Between January and May of 2022, IHH ran a campaign entitled #DoBetterNCL, aiming to improve policies on sexual violence and support services for students. As part of this they conducted a survey about student experiences of sexual violence, spiking and the reporting and support systems offered by the University.
This survey received 409 responses, including hundreds of student testimonies, many outlining personal experiences. These have been compiled into a report, written by IHH committee and members and NUSU President Mady Baugh. Special thanks must be given to Elizabeth Marriage and Abbie Hardcastle for their significant input.
Speaking to The Courier, IHH commented on the significance of this report:
“Students will not be silenced on these issues.
We are demanding the university to make a long term financial investment in sexual and gendered violence. We know they already provide support and services that address these issues, but this report solidifies how what they're already doing/providing is simply not enough.
The report has over 300 testimonials on how the University has effectively failed students again and again. We need to see change and an ongoing public commitment to recognise this as an ongoing issue that they’re working to address.”
They found that 76.2% of respondents either had been, or knew someone who had been, sexually assaulted whilst at Newcastle University - 60.5% saying that these assaults went altogether unreported.
More specifically, only 13.2% of respondents reported the assault to the University.
Students cited multiple reasons for not reporting these assaults: not knowing how to report it, not feeling safe, and fear of not being believed were amongst them. Students were given an opportunity to add their own comments to the survey, which overall presented “a feeling of being let down” by the University.
Based on these results, the report outlines several suggestions for the University to help support survivors and prevent sexual offences by students.
These include:
Some of these suggestions are commonplace at other UK Universities. For example ‘Active Bystander training’ has been recommended to Newcastle, which would help staff to recognise and act upon signs of sexual violence, harassment or abuse. This training is already provided at many other Universities, such as Durham, Warwick and UCL.
NUSU President Mady Baugh notes that “the statistical data cannot not be validated due to the possibility of duplication”, so as significant as the statistics may seem, the real power of the survey comes from student testimonies.
Speaking to The Courier Mady said:
“This is the largest report conducted by students at Newcastle on sexual violence and spiking and provides powerful and moving testimonies from hundreds of students. I will also note and am grateful that [the University] wellbeing [service] have been supportive of us in this process and the University are looking to support our recommendations where possible pending further discussions.
As ever though, it should not have to take so many students to go through these experiences, or even students having to gather this data themselves, for institutions to act, invest and believe survivors. It is not even about catching up with other institutions who have committed to bystander and consent training, it’s about reading those student testimonies and data that otherwise wouldn’t have been available to the University and being proactive, innovative and dedicated."
These feelings are shared by many of the student testimonies.
One student's testimony said: “[I want to] see the university themselves saying #DoBetter not just leaving it to other students to fix their problems”.
In relation to specific training for staff, one student said: “Staff are regularly the first point of contact for many students and they need to acknowledge their responsibility in the overall wellbeing of a students academic and non-academic life in university”.
Mady's final comments were: "I am looking forward to developing these recommendations with the university and hope that a greater sense of urgency across the institution, and commitment of new resources are allocated towards such prevention. We are moving in the right direction, and I am so grateful to all those who supported and contributed to the campaign and survey. Student voice is powerful and it will be heard.”
In order to ensure the longevity of this report, one of IHH’s Peer Support Facilitators, Aimee Bond proposed a motion to Students’ Union Council. The motion’s resolve was for the “Student[s] Union to lobby the University to implement the recommendations in the It Happens Here Report”, demonstrating widespread student support for these changes.
The motion was discussed on Thursday 8 December, with Aimee Bond, Abbie Hardcastle and Olivia Wilson all speaking in favour. Aimee stated that “[IHH] are very lucky to have Mady’s support”, however, indicated that it was important to ensure that the Students’ Union continued to support those who indentified as survivors.
Speaking in favour of the motion, IHH President, Abbie Hardcastle argued that the testimonies within the report show “how much more the University need to do” in order to support survivors of sexual violence.
Echoing the comments from Aimee and Abbie, Olivia Wilson, Welfare Officer for IHH, noted that every person who chooses to come to University should be able to “study in a safe environment”.
Similarly, the SU’s Disability Officer, Lauren Gilbert, advocated for the work of IHH due to the positive experiences that they have had due to the accessibly nature of the society.
The motion passed with 94% in favour, meaning the the SU is committed to ensuring the reports recommendations are followed through.
In response to the report being published, Newcastle University stated “We will not tolerate sexual violence or sexual harassment within our University community.
It has been helpful to have the feedback from the It Happens Here Society report to further strengthen our approach.”
The University state that they already have a series of steps in place “that were highlighted as being of importance in the report”.
These include, but are not limited to, the creation of a “new Student Survivor Support Worker role - a post appointed in collaboration with the Students’ Union President”.
Responding to the fact that other Universities offer bystander and content training, the University stated that “it is not sector-wide practice to provide active bystander training”.
The spokesperson continued: “Following the report, members of our Changing the Culture Working Group are taking forward the recommendation for in-person, active bystander training for students. In collaboration with the Students’ Union President we are looking to pilot this in an academic school to ensure any created course is student-centred and effective”.
IHH plan on holding a rally outside of the SU building in an attempt to further highlight the necessity of the report. The plan includes speakers and a display showcasing some of the key findings from the report.
It’s clear that sexual assault is an ongoing issue, and this report is the first step in the process of change. It Happens Here and President Mady Baugh continue to work alongside the University to act on the findings of this report.