Excelsia College > About > Wellbeing and Safety > SASH
EXCELSIA COLLEGE. EVERYONE’S COMMUNITY.
Excelsia College expects all members of its community to treat one another with respect and dignity to ensure the campus is a safe space for all. Any form of sexual assault and sexual harassment will not be tolerated, and the College will ensure the provision of immediate and effective support to any member of the College community who discloses any incident of sexual assault or sexual harassment.
WHAT IS SEXUAL ASSAULT?
Sexual Assault occurs when a person is forced, coerced or tricked into sexual acts against their will or without their consent.
WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual behaviour that causes a person to feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. Sexual Harassment may include:
- Staring or leering;
- Unnecessary familiarity, such as deliberately brushing up against a person or
- unwelcome touching
- Suggestive comments or jokes;
- Insults or taunts of a sexual nature;
- Intrusive questions or statements about someone’s private life;
- Displaying posters, magazines or screen savers of a sexual nature;
- Sending sexually explicit emails or text messages;
- Inappropriate advances on social networking sites;
- Requests for sex or repeated unwanted requests to go out on dates; and
- Behaviour that may also be considered to be an offense under criminal law, such as physical assault, indecent exposure, sexual assault, stalking or obscene communications.
WHAT IS CONSENT?
Consent occurs when a person freely and voluntarily agrees to engage in a sexual act.
Consent cannot be given by people who are:
- incapacitated due to intoxication or the influence of drugs;
- incapacitated due to their age or intellectual capacity;
- unconscious or asleep;
- under threat of or actual force;
- intimidated, coerced or threatened;
- unlawfully detained or held against their will; or tricked or manipulated due to the person being in a position of trust into providing consent.
Video for consent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpOGoXLUBxA&feature=youtu.be
SUPPORT OFFICERS
Excelsia College has Support Officers that are specially trained to support anyone from the Excelsia Community that has experienced Sexual Assault and/or Sexual Harassment.
They are the first point of contact for this type of cases.
They will respond with the utmost respect and compassion and will provide the next steps moving forward including information about internal (counselling and/or chaplaincy) and external (Police and/or health services) assistance options and formal reporting mechanisms under the University’s misconduct and/or disciplinary processes.
SUPPORT OFFICERS:
- Mike Peereboom – Chaplain – Student Support
- Nicole O’Keeffe – Assistant Registrar – Registrar
- Cameron Lyon – Student Support Manager – Student Support
- Rachel Thompson – People and Culture Coordinator – Human Resources
- Beatrice Lorquet – Director of People and Culture – Human Resources
- Dion Khlentzos – Senior Lecturer – Counselling
- Liliana Mora – Student Advisor – Student Acquisition
BYSTANDER / FIRST RESPONDER BEHAVIOUR
As respectful members of the Excelsia Community it goes a long way if we intervene to offer help to someone exposed to assault, harassment or any other type of harmful behaviours if it is safe to do so. Here’s how to become an active bystander.
Analyse the situation – If you notice harmful behaviour occurring, be aware of what and who is around you.
Understand there is a problem – Reflect on the actions you have seen and If you feel that the action was wrong, then you are probably right. Trust your gut and do something about it rather than ignoring the discomfort.
Take responsibility – We must try to help others who are being harmed. Unfortunately, many people are thinking that someone else will act and they diffuse responsibility. It’s important that you assume responsibility to act. We can all do something to help.
How will you help? – Decide what action you will take to intervene. Always remember to approach the situation safely and calmly. There are three broad types of bystander intervention:
Delegate – Contact someone more qualified involved. This could mean security or the police.
Distract – Finding a way to stop behaviour, without directly addressing it. Try to cause a distraction that will diffuse the situation. Examples of this could be asking the person being threatened to borrow their phone or spilling a drink.
Direct – Directly confronting the harmful behaviour with the person. It can involve calling out the person about the wrongful behaviour and telling them to stop. It is the most immediate way to intervene the situation.
CONTACTS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT & SEXUAL HARASSMENT
National
- Lifeline – Crisis Support. Suicide Prevention:13 11 14
- Beyond Blue:1300 224 636
- Kids Helpline:1800 551 800
- Suicide Call Back Service:1300 659 467
- Counselling ONLINE – Free drug & alcohol counselling 24/7
- Reach Out
- Eheadspace:1800 650 890
- Qlife1800 184 527
- 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732
New South Wales
- Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS):(02) 9361 8000 / 1800 422 599
- Relationships Australia – New South Wales (RANSW):1300 364 277
- St Vincent de Paul Society:(02) 9568 0262
- Samaritans: (02) 4960 7100 /1300 656 336
- Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511
- NSW Poisons Information Centre:13 11 26
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT
LODGING A REPORT
If you have experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment and would like to report the incident, please click the ‘Report Sexual Assault’ button which will direct you to an online form to fill out.
You can use this form if:
- You have experienced a sexual assault/sexual harassment incident;
- You have witnessed a member of the Excelsia College community being sexually harassed or sexually assaulted; or
- A member of the Excelsia College community has shared their experience with sexual assault/ sexual harassment and has not conducted any further action.
You can complete this form anonymously or with contact details.
- A report is anonymous when it does not include the name or contact details of the person who submitted the report. Having the report be anonymous may limit the amount of action Excelsia College can take after receiving the report.
- Reports with contact details include the name and contact information of the person who submitted the report. If you are reporting on behalf of someone else, do not include the name and contact details of the person who experienced the inappropriate behaviour unless you have their permission to give their name.
For Staff: As a staff member, you can use this form to report the behaviour of members of the College or the public whose behaviour has affected staff or students. However, you cannot use this form to report other staff for behaviours other than SASH. If you want to report the problem behaviour of another staff member, you can discuss how to lodge a complaint with your supervisor or by following the Staff Grievance Procedure. Staff can also contact Human Resources via email or phone for confidential support.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER SUBMITTING A REPORT?
Once you submit your completed form directly online by clicking the submit button the form will go to all the Support Officers to the email Respect@excelsia.edu.au. If you have submitted a form with contact details, a support officer will be in touch with you within 24 hours to assist you through the next steps of the process.
If you have further questions about submitting a report, you can speak with the Student Support Centre. To read about our policies and procedures regarding Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment please read below.
EVERYONE’S COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN.
Preventing sexual assault or sexual harassment helps create a safer community. If you see someone in an uncomfortable situation, don’t hesitate to help them. It’s Everyone’s Community.
EVERYONE’S COMMUNITY
