Why should I Speak Up?
The University can only help and support students if we know what has happened. The University of Winchester is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for everyone. If you or someone else has experienced unacceptable behaviour, you can Speak Up and let us know by using Report and Support.
What should I Speak Up about?
You can report the unacceptable behaviour of students or staff. This includes sexist jokes, catcalling and sexual misconduct, and also other behaviour such as assault, bullying, harassment, domestic and relationship abuse, spiking, initiations and freedom of speech concerns. If you aren’t sure which box to tick, you can choose ‘other’ and provide some more details in your own words.
What happens if I submit a report with my contact details?
A trained member of the Casework team will contact you within 3 working days. Your report will be treated in confidence and tailored support can be offered to you. In almost all cases, it is completely up to you to decide how you wish to proceed. This might include arranging support for your wellbeing, informal advice, supporting you to report to the police, or discussing what an investigation under one of the University’s policies would look like. Contact will only be made with the person you are reporting once you have made a decision to proceed with an investigation, if appropriate for your circumstances, except in some specific circumstances which you can read about here.
What happens if I submit an anonymous report?
The University uses anonymous reports to identify and monitor trends and look at awareness and intervention plans. All anonymous reports are carefully reviewed by the Casework team. However, it is important to know that reporting anonymously means the University cannot trace your report back to you and will not be able to speak to you about the incident or offer you support.
I don’t feel comfortable giving my name or contact details to the University just yet.
That’s fine, you can submit an anonymous report and opt in to anonymous messaging. This means that you can securely and anonymously exchange messages with the Casework team, so that your questions and concerns can be answered. If you wish, you can provide your name and contact details to the Casework team at a later date or even arrange a meeting to discuss what has happened. This article has more information on anonymous messaging.