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Student Wellbeing & Welfare

Harassment and Sexual Violence

All members of Keble’s community are expected to treat each other with respect. Harassment and violence of any kind is unacceptable.

Keble students can find support and advice on this issue from a number of places, including in the College and the University. The information in this website is designed to help someone find the right source for them.

Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service

The University’s Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service provides a safe space for students to be heard, with advisors offering free support and advice to any current student who has been impacted by sexual harassment or violence.

In some circumstances it may be appropriate to report to the police. The University’s Independent Sexual Violence Advisor can provide advice and support on this process.

Harassment (including Sexual Harassment), Bullying and Victimisation

The College does not tolerate any form of harassment, bullying or victimisation. Our approach is set out in the College Policy on Harassment (including Sexual Harassment), Bullying and Victimisation (pdf).

Any member of college who believes they may be suffering from harassment is strongly encouraged, if they feel able, to tell someone about it and to take action. In deciding what action to take, you can seek advice and support from the sources listed on this website below.

There are three main courses of action open to you:

Taking Informal action yourself

In some cases, a person who feels that they are being harassed, bullied or victimised by another person may feel that they wish to approach that person themselves to explain what conduct they find upsetting, offensive or unacceptable, and to ask them to refrain from that behaviour.

At no time should anyone feel obliged to approach an alleged harasser, and the College does not wish to suggest that someone who feels that they have been harassed is responsible for rectifying the situation, or that this approach should be used in any particular case. It may often be appropriate to use another approach. The choice of is entirely in your hands.

Before taking this approach, you could discuss the situation with a trusted friend or colleague, and/or the seek advice and support from the sources listed below.

Taking Informal action with the help of a senior member of College

In some cases, a person who feels that they are being harassed, bullied or victimised by another person may wish for a senior member of the College to engage with the other party. You can contact any one of the following: The Senior Tutor; The Welfare Fellow; The Sub-Warden.

Note that, because the Dean will be involved in any formal report, they should not be approached at this stage.

The senior member can meet you, with a College harassment advisor if you wish, and talk separately to the person about whom the complaint is being made. If the person is a non-academic member of staff, this action may be taken by their line manager in consultation with the Senior Member to whom the concerns have been reported. Under this approach, the concerns will not be independently investigated by the College, no findings of fact will be made, and no formal disciplinary action will be taken. The records relating to this action will be kept separately from student and/or staff files and will not be disclosed in references the College will provide.

In some circumstances it may be possible for the person raising the concern to remain anonymous as far as the subject of the complaint is concerned. If you request anonymity, the senior member will make their best efforts not to provide details that would enable the reported individual to guess your identity. However, you should be aware that it may not always be possible to prevent your identity being guessed. In any case where anonymity is requested, the senior member will not confirm or deny the identity of the individual reporting a concern.

With the agreement and cooperation of both parties, the senior member may be able to bring about a resolution of the issue without the need for a formal report. They will attempt to do so without undue delay.

The senior member involved will keep a full record of action taken under this approach and lodge it with the Senior Tutor to be kept separately from either individual’s record.

A formal report to the Dean

If your complaint is about another Keble student, you may, at any time, choose to make a Formal Report of your concerns by following the procedure set out in the Non-Academic Misconduct: Code and Procedure (pdf) included in the College Handbook. You are strongly recommended to seek advice from a College Harassment advisor before choosing this option. They will be able to help you better understand what a formal report might involve, including the possible timeframe for a resolution.

If your complaint is about a student at another college, you should seek advice from the Dean. Note that the route for addressing the complaint may therefore involve the University Proctors.

If your complaint is about a member of Keble other than another student, you can make a formal report via one of the other routes described in the College Policy on Harassment (including Sexual Harassment), Bullying and Victimisation (pdf).

Harassment Advisors or the Oxford University Sexual Harassment & Violence Support Service can also advise on how to make a formal complaint under the University Procedure (if the person complained about is from another college).

A College Harassment Advisor or one of the other sources of advice listed here can help you make the right decision. While only one approach may be pursued at any one time, where one approach does not provide a resolution to the issue, another approach may be pursued. Choosing an informal approach, either by yourself or with input from a senior member, does not rule out later making a formal report.

The first two options can be described as Informal Resolution, and the third option is a Formal process.

Sources of Support and Advice

Here are examples of sources of support and advice available to junior members.

Support and advice are available to:

➤Those who feel they have been subjected to harassment, bullying or victimisation;

➤Those who have witnessed harassment, bullying or victimisation;

➤Those who are the subject of an allegation of harassment, bullying or victimisation

Support is available to:

➤Provide support and advice on the options available;

➤Provide welfare support

NOTE: if both the reporter and the subject of a report both seek welfare support and advice the welfare team/human resource lead will make sure that a separate advisor is available for both people and that confidentiality is preserved.

College Harassment Advisors

Any junior member of college who believes they may be suffering from harassment is strongly encouraged, in the first instance, to consult one of the College Harassment Advisors. The role of a Harassment Advisor is to listen non-judgmentally to individuals’ concerns and provide them support by:

➤advising them on the appropriate Policy and procedures;

➤guiding them through the College Policy and procedures, clarifying the options open to them and assisting them to resolve the matter informally where possible;

➤where requested, supporting them through the resolution process, whether formal or informal;

➤referring them to another advisor where necessary or to other agencies and support systems as appropriate

Harassment Advisors do not:

➤approach the alleged harasser in an attempt to mediate or resolve the matter;

➤act as representative or advocate;

➤act as a party to any formal stage of the complaint process, except in the role of providing support

Harassment Advisors will deal with all cases with the utmost confidentiality except where there is an unacceptable risk to another individual or to the College.

The current College Harassment Advisors are:

Dr Tom Maltas

tom.maltas@keble.ox.ac.uk

Dr Ellen Paterson

ellen.paterson@history.ox.ac.uk

Welfare Support

For welfare support as well as referrals to the University or external sources of welfare advice and support contact:

Layla Al-Katib

Student Support Officer

student.support@keble.ox.ac.uk

Fr Max Kramer

Welfare Fellow

max.kramer@keble.ox.ac.uk

Peer Support

In addition to the above there are options for informal discussion with the following:

Peer Support: This link to the University Website provides information on how peer support at Oxford works and how you can contact and find different peer supports be that college, departmental, divisional as well as coffee ambassadors, peers of colour, rainbow peers, peers of faith and disability diversity peers.

Oxford SU Student Advice Service: Advice and information service exclusively available to Oxford Students.

University advice and support

The principal source of professional advice and support is the University Sexual Harassment Advice & Support Service.

Oxford University Sexual Harassment & Violence Support Service: A safe space to be heard, with advisors offering free support and advice to any current student impacted by sexual harassment or violence.

The University ISVA Service: Independent of a student’s college or department. Can support as an advocate if reporting sexual violence to their college, the Proctors Office or police. Information on the criminal justice process as well as support.

University Reported Student Support: A confidential specialist support service for students who are subject to an allegation of harassment or sexual misconduct.

You may feel that the best source of advice and support for you lies outside the College, including in your Department or Faculty.

Each Department and Faculty has one or more designated harassment advisors who are part of a Network: Harassment Advisor Network | Equality and Diversity Unit

Welfare support is available from the Oxford University Counselling Service

External Resources

Further Support | University of Oxford: A number of organisations locally and nationally providing specialist support to individuals affected by sexual harassment.

Accused of harassment/bullying/victimisation:

The above resources are all available as well for those accused of harassment, bullying or victimisation.