Creating a safer place for our students - the NSSS
Content warning: Please be aware this message contains information about how the survey will proceed and avenues to talk about experiences of sexual violence. This may be upsetting or triggering for some members of our community. I encourage you to access support if you need it, and we have a number of free support services available for our community.
Dear colleagues,
Today I wrote to all students about the upcoming National Student Safety Survey.
Please be aware this message contains information about how the survey will proceed and avenues to talk about experiences of sexual violence. This may be upsetting or triggering for some members of our community. I encourage you to access support if you need it, and we have a number of free support services available for our community.
We are aware many in our community had concerns about running this survey while large numbers of students are affected by lockdowns and COVID-19 outbreaks. We raised these concerns with Universities Australia, but they have made the difficult decision to continue ahead as planned to gather this vital information and reflect the nation-wide context of the survey.
Since the last survey
In 2017, the Australian Human Rights Commission released Change the Course - a National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities 2017. The report and its recommendations were based on the results of a national survey of students.
We are not proud of what we learned about our university in that report. Our Vice-Chancellor committed ANU not only to address the issues raised in the report, but to continue to review our progress and to actively lead the sector in building a safer community for everyone. A lot of important work has been done to provide more effective support, responses and prevention, but we still have a long way to go. We must do these things properly, involving all members of our community. Changing systems takes time and we continue to work on this.
The NSSS
In March this year, 1,000 of our students were invited to take part in the pilot survey, with more than 200 opting to participate.
The national survey involving a random sample of students from 39 Australian universities will be open from Monday 6 September to Sunday 3 October. 10,000 ANU students will be asked to participate - almost half of our students.
The Social Research Centre (SRC) is running the NSSS on behalf of all Australian universities to help us understand what the experiences of people enrolled in university have been, what is happening on our campuses now and what we can do to support all students.
Sexual assault and sexual harassment have no place on our campuses. We have committed to addressing and challenging these unacceptable behaviours - not just in our community, but also in society. This is why our Vice-Chancellor has also committed ANU to the national survey this year and the public release of the survey results in early 2022.
Our community has already taken significant steps towards stopping sexual violence and unacceptable behaviour. This includes enhanced support services, University policies, a prevention strategy, and education and training programs. However, to ensure this work is successful it must be informed by the experiences and needs of our students.
Over the coming weeks, student-facing staff in your area may receive additional requests from students for support following the release of the survey. I encourage you to visit our support page. The Division of University Experience will be running a series of workshops into the coming weeks on creating safe environments and responding to disclosures. If you would like to be part of those support sessions please email director.university.experience@anu.edu.au.
I thank you for your continued support to ensure our campus fosters a safe environment for everyone in our community.
Ian
Professor Ian Anderson AO
FAFPHM, FASSA, FAAHMS
Palawa Lutrawita
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student & University Experience)
dvc.sue@anu.edu.au
The Australian National University, Canberra | CRICOS Provider: 00120C | ABN: 52 234 063 906
