Blog
Consent on Campus
This article contains discussions around sexual violence
In September 2019, a woman who had previously only been known to the world as Emily Doe came forward to reveal her identity. Chanel Miller, now 27, had maintained anonymity for four years while being at the centre of a sexual assault case which became famous the world over and shed a light on the prevalence of sexual violence on university campuses.
In 2015, Stanford University student Brock Turner was found sexually assaulting Miller while she was unconscious after a house party. He was caught by passers-by when he tried to flee and was eventually found guilty of three felony charges of sexual assault and sentenced to six months in prison (of which he served just three).
The case might have been simply forgotten and brushed aside after the conclusion of the trial, but in 2016 Buzzfeed published the statement read by Miller before Turner’s sentencing.
The 7,000-word statement detailing Miller’s ordeal immediately went viral and was read by eleven million people in just four days. The article caused outrage at how the case had been reported by the press, and over the light sentencing given to Turner. Websites and newspapers had published his swimming times and what a promising athlete he was along with details of his crimes, and he was given just six months in prison despite prosecutors recommending six years. This led many to question how courts treat abusers from wealthy and privileged backgrounds, particularly those at elite universities.
Sexual violence on campus is also an issue garnering an increasing amount of attention in the UK. Over one third of women at UK universities reported unwanted sexual advances, with one in seven experiencing a serious physical or sexual assault. Despite the severity of these crimes, only 4% of women reported their sexual assault to the university. Though women make up the majority of those affected by sexual violence, it is estimated that around 75,000 men are victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault each year.
When asked why they didn’t report their assault, many students responded that they simply felt nothing would come of it and that they wouldn’t be listened to. Stories of complaints being mishandled and hard to keep track of are common.
Many also reported that universities aren’t doing enough to protect survivors. Campuses can act as small, closed communities where students live in a social bubble so survivors may have to see their abusers in bars, seminars or even exam halls. Frustrated students have taken to social media to share their experiences and have found it empowering to have a voice and feel as if they are being listened to after being ignored by the authorities.
Amidst this growing problem, universities are taking steps to recognise the extent of these issues and come up with solutions. Some have introduced consent classes for freshers and training for staff on how to deal with disclosures of sexual violence from students. However, it is important that universities address not only how they deal with complaints, but how they can change the culture within their institutions to make students recognise that sexual harassment is unacceptable under any circumstance.
A number of campaigns do exist with exactly these goals in mind. In Scotland, the Equally Safe in Higher Education toolkit (developed by the University of Strathclyde and funded by the Scottish Government) is available to help institutions with their strategies on preventing gender based violence. As part of their #StandByMe campaign, the NUS has created guidelines around disclosure training and called for universities to change the disciplinary procedures around sexual violence. Many student unions work with local communities to organise Reclaim the Night marches. Reclaim the Night was a campaign started by feminist activists in Leeds in 1977 in reaction to women being told to stay inside to keep themselves safe from sexual violence. Protestors take to the streets after dark to campaign against gender-based violence and symbolically reclaim their place in public life without fear of sexual assault.
Chanel Miller’s memoir of her life in the years following her ordeal, Know my Name, will be released on 24th September 2019. Although the leniency in Turner’s sentencing caused outrage, the attention that the case brought to the topic of campus sexual assault has been instrumental in forcing the issue into the public eye. While more still needs to be done to change the culture which allows it to slip through the cracks, universities are taking positive steps to challenge sexual violence and empower survivors.
If you need support, the following organisations are available to help survivors of sexual violence.
Rape Crisis England and Wales
Rape Crisis Scotland
Nexus NI
Survivors UK (for men)
In September 2019, a woman who had previously only been known to the world as Emily Doe came forward to reveal her identity. Chanel Miller, now 27, had maintained anonymity for four years while being at the centre of a sexual assault case which became famous the world over and shed a light on the prevalence of sexual violence on university campuses.
In 2015, Stanford University student Brock Turner was found sexually assaulting Miller while she was unconscious after a house party. He was caught by passers-by when he tried to flee and was eventually found guilty of three felony charges of sexual assault and sentenced to six months in prison (of which he served just three).
The case might have been simply forgotten and brushed aside after the conclusion of the trial, but in 2016 Buzzfeed published the statement read by Miller before Turner’s sentencing.
The 7,000-word statement detailing Miller’s ordeal immediately went viral and was read by eleven million people in just four days. The article caused outrage at how the case had been reported by the press, and over the light sentencing given to Turner. Websites and newspapers had published his swimming times and what a promising athlete he was along with details of his crimes, and he was given just six months in prison despite prosecutors recommending six years. This led many to question how courts treat abusers from wealthy and privileged backgrounds, particularly those at elite universities.
Sexual violence on campus is also an issue garnering an increasing amount of attention in the UK. Over one third of women at UK universities reported unwanted sexual advances, with one in seven experiencing a serious physical or sexual assault. Despite the severity of these crimes, only 4% of women reported their sexual assault to the university. Though women make up the majority of those affected by sexual violence, it is estimated that around 75,000 men are victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault each year.
When asked why they didn’t report their assault, many students responded that they simply felt nothing would come of it and that they wouldn’t be listened to. Stories of complaints being mishandled and hard to keep track of are common.
Many also reported that universities aren’t doing enough to protect survivors. Campuses can act as small, closed communities where students live in a social bubble so survivors may have to see their abusers in bars, seminars or even exam halls. Frustrated students have taken to social media to share their experiences and have found it empowering to have a voice and feel as if they are being listened to after being ignored by the authorities.
Amidst this growing problem, universities are taking steps to recognise the extent of these issues and come up with solutions. Some have introduced consent classes for freshers and training for staff on how to deal with disclosures of sexual violence from students. However, it is important that universities address not only how they deal with complaints, but how they can change the culture within their institutions to make students recognise that sexual harassment is unacceptable under any circumstance.
A number of campaigns do exist with exactly these goals in mind. In Scotland, the Equally Safe in Higher Education toolkit (developed by the University of Strathclyde and funded by the Scottish Government) is available to help institutions with their strategies on preventing gender based violence. As part of their #StandByMe campaign, the NUS has created guidelines around disclosure training and called for universities to change the disciplinary procedures around sexual violence. Many student unions work with local communities to organise Reclaim the Night marches. Reclaim the Night was a campaign started by feminist activists in Leeds in 1977 in reaction to women being told to stay inside to keep themselves safe from sexual violence. Protestors take to the streets after dark to campaign against gender-based violence and symbolically reclaim their place in public life without fear of sexual assault.
Chanel Miller’s memoir of her life in the years following her ordeal, Know my Name, will be released on 24th September 2019. Although the leniency in Turner’s sentencing caused outrage, the attention that the case brought to the topic of campus sexual assault has been instrumental in forcing the issue into the public eye. While more still needs to be done to change the culture which allows it to slip through the cracks, universities are taking positive steps to challenge sexual violence and empower survivors.
If you need support, the following organisations are available to help survivors of sexual violence.
Rape Crisis England and Wales
Rape Crisis Scotland
Nexus NI
Survivors UK (for men)
Consumer rights in higher education: why training is needed for universities and colleges
Consumer rights in higher education are now a focus for the UK Government and mean that Higher Education institutions must comply with consumer protection law and meet the standards defined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Students are now recognised in law as “consumers” since the introduction of new Consumer Rights legislation in 2015. This means that students are now given the same protection as any consumer buying goods or services.
There are now regular stories appearing of universities being fined for non-compliance, with The Times leading a recent story with the headline Students could sue over shoddy but expensive degree courses.
In November 2017, the Advertising Standards Authority told six UK universities to take down marketing claims that could be misleading. The universities all had complaints upheld against them around describing themselves as a “top university” for several rankings:
In addition to the rights of the consumer, the Consumer Rights legislation also places obligations upon the universities. There are now minimum standards that apply to a Higher Education provider’s services for students around information provision, complaint handling and for fairness in their course terms and conditions.
Universities face increasing scrutiny from the CMA
Increasing scrutiny from the CMA means universities now face the challenge of training staff to raise awareness about the types of online and offline information they need to supply to students in order to comply with the new legislation.
For example, a lack of or change in information regarding the course could result in reputational damage for universities, having to refund course fees or students claiming damages.
The University of East Anglia (UEA) was fined by the CMA following “significant course changes” that their students complained about. As you can see with cases like this from UEA, is not the institutions fault as such, but it is just so easy to fall foul of these new measures.
Why consumer rights training is needed in higher education
In a sense as universities enter the corporate world, in a very competitive market, it is natural that marketing professionals under some pressure will make promises that are hard to quantify. Our training course just highlights that due diligence should be carried out in any claims, and this can even include individual academics talking to students at an open day.
As well as gaining a new understanding of rights afforded to ‘students as consumers’, universities and colleges should now be aware of what measures their organisation needs to take to remain compliant with this legislation.
In response to the new legislation, Marshall E-Learning has released Consumer Rights in Higher Education training to help organisations comply with this legislation.
Created for the University of Exeter among others, the training course provides Higher Education providers and their employees with information they will need to ensure they understand and adhere to these obligations.
Areas covered by the course include:
As with all Marshall E-Learning courses, the 30-minute course can be viewed on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone using any browser.
Find out more about the Consumer Rights in Higher Education e-learning course from Marshall E-Learning, or contact David Marshall on 0845 123 3909 or by emailing contactus@marshallacm.co.uk
Students are now recognised in law as “consumers” since the introduction of new Consumer Rights legislation in 2015. This means that students are now given the same protection as any consumer buying goods or services.
There are now regular stories appearing of universities being fined for non-compliance, with The Times leading a recent story with the headline Students could sue over shoddy but expensive degree courses.
In November 2017, the Advertising Standards Authority told six UK universities to take down marketing claims that could be misleading. The universities all had complaints upheld against them around describing themselves as a “top university” for several rankings:
In addition to the rights of the consumer, the Consumer Rights legislation also places obligations upon the universities. There are now minimum standards that apply to a Higher Education provider’s services for students around information provision, complaint handling and for fairness in their course terms and conditions.
Universities face increasing scrutiny from the CMA
Increasing scrutiny from the CMA means universities now face the challenge of training staff to raise awareness about the types of online and offline information they need to supply to students in order to comply with the new legislation.
For example, a lack of or change in information regarding the course could result in reputational damage for universities, having to refund course fees or students claiming damages.
The University of East Anglia (UEA) was fined by the CMA following “significant course changes” that their students complained about. As you can see with cases like this from UEA, is not the institutions fault as such, but it is just so easy to fall foul of these new measures.
Why consumer rights training is needed in higher education
In a sense as universities enter the corporate world, in a very competitive market, it is natural that marketing professionals under some pressure will make promises that are hard to quantify. Our training course just highlights that due diligence should be carried out in any claims, and this can even include individual academics talking to students at an open day.
As well as gaining a new understanding of rights afforded to ‘students as consumers’, universities and colleges should now be aware of what measures their organisation needs to take to remain compliant with this legislation.
In response to the new legislation, Marshall E-Learning has released Consumer Rights in Higher Education training to help organisations comply with this legislation.
Created for the University of Exeter among others, the training course provides Higher Education providers and their employees with information they will need to ensure they understand and adhere to these obligations.
Areas covered by the course include:
- The student research and application stage, where information forms part of the ‘Student Contract’
- The ‘Student Contract’ that is formed when the student accepts the offer of a place
- The student complaints process
As with all Marshall E-Learning courses, the 30-minute course can be viewed on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone using any browser.
Find out more about the Consumer Rights in Higher Education e-learning course from Marshall E-Learning, or contact David Marshall on 0845 123 3909 or by emailing contactus@marshallacm.co.uk