Dear Daniel,

 

I refer to your request of 4 March 2020. The University’s response
follows.

 

“I would like to know the number of sexual harm or harassment cases that
were reported to the university in 2019.”

 

Year Number of Sexual Harassment Complaints Received*
2019 7

 

*Note that this figure includes both staff and student complaints.

 

“I would also like to know the number of students who appeared before the
Discipline Committee for sexual harm or harassment cases in 2019, as well
as the number of these cases which ended in a student being given a ban or
suspension from the university.”

 

No students appeared before the Discipline Committee in relation to
allegations of sexual harassment in 2019.

 

“Please also include information on the services the university provides
to help the victims of sexual harm. Please include in this information the
amount of money the university spent on providing these services in 2019.”

 

The information requested has been provided below. Note that the
information compiled below has references to on-campus services, and that
due to the current lockdown you should first check the University’s
website for information about how these services are currently being
delivered:

 

“Where to get help for harmful sexual behaviour

 

The University has a range of ways to get help if something has happened
to you or someone you know. Information about support and advice,
reporting incidents and making complaints is available on the
[1]Harassment, bullying, sexual assault and other violence website.

Kinds of help available through UoA

 1. University Health and Counselling Service (UHCS)

 1. A full medical clinic offering GP and Nurse consultations A free
counselling service is offered, and you can usually get an
appointment that week or if urgent, on the same day. If face to
face is not what you’re after there is a phone counselling
service you can self-refer to.
 2. There is also an UniWellbeing online therapy tool which will
guide you through a series of modules with support from our
counselling team
 3. Information about all these services is available on the Health
and Counselling website
 ([2]https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/on-campus/...)

 2. Drop in centre with HELP

 1. HELP is a private and confidential service providing specialist
support for sexual abuse survivors. The University of Auckland
has teamed up with HELP to provide members of our community with
specialist support.
 2. If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual abuse,
you can reach out to HELP anytime via their 24/7 phone number,
(09) 623 1700, website ([3]helpauckland.org.nz).
 3. At University there is a drop-in centre where you can meet and
talk to a HELP professional. They are on campus every fortnight
during semester on Level 3 of the Kate Edgar building, opposite
the Health & Counselling Service.
 4. You can also talk to our GP or Counselling staff in the Health &
Counselling Service who can facilitate a quick referral to HELP.

 3. Proctor

 1. University Proctors manage student non-academic misconduct and
complaints. The Proctor can also offer you advice, information
and support when it comes to working out how to deal with
situations where another student’s behaviour is of concern.
 2. The Proctor is the primary reference point in the University for
all matters relating to student non-academic misconduct,
including complaints against students, or disputes between
students.
 3. The Proctor assesses disputes between students or complaints
about student conduct and can recommend or determine the
appropriate next steps, which may include referral to an
external mediator or disciplinary procedures.
 4. You can contact a proctor via Email: [4][email address],
Phone: 923 7005, more information is available on the
University’s website
([5]https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/on-campus/...)

 4. AUSA Advocacy Service* (Note, this is a service provided by the
Auckland University Student Association rather than the University)

 1. You can also seek support from the AUSA advocacy service.
Advocacy is completely independent from the University and
offers free and confidential advice. For more information visit
the AUSA website ([6]www.ausa.org.nz)

 5. Complaints about staff

 1. If you have a complaint about a University staff member, but are
not sure what to do, you can get advice from the Proctor (info
above), from AUSA Advocacy (info above) or you can visit the
University website for information on more options
([7]https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/on-campus/...)
 2. The Student Complaint Process details how to make a complaint
against a staff member
([8]https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/auckla...)

 6. Resident Advisor (RAs) if in university accommodation

 1. Live-in support/your first point of contact if you are living in
halls
 2. Resident Advisors are on hand to provide pastoral care and
create an environment to support your academic efforts
 3. Resident Advisors can advise on other support available within
the University, dependent on your situation

 7. Anonymous Complaints

 1. If you want to raise a matter with the University, but want to
do this anonymously, the University has a Whistleblower Hotline
([9]https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/on-campus/...)”

The University cannot provide a total figure for spending on services
provided to help victims of sexual harm, because this is a part of many
different people’s roles and we do not have set apportions of their role
in relation to sexual harm that would allow us to generate this statistic.
However, in addition to spending on the above, the University has an
allocated budget this year of $180k for various activities relating to
sexual harm prevention, awareness and support including:

 

o Developing a range of videos  

o Video 1: Boundaries
[10]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huXIGNs8...
o Video 2: Being an Upstander
[11]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1ABrJMo...
o Video 3: Consent [12]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5GuCAph...
o Video 4: Getting Support
[13]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uX8Ttq6...

o Developing and delivering a training package of sexual harm for
students – delivered by Rape Prevention Education, and is face to face
training for all student leaders including RAs.
o Funding for student groups who work in the sexual harm space, such as
Thursdays in Black.
o Funding for various awareness events, such as Sex Week.

This response constitutes a partial refusal of your request in relation to
the cost information requested, under section 18(g) of the Official
Information Act, as the University does not hold this information. You
have the right to make a complaint to an Ombudsman about this response.

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Ewert

General Counsel

University of Auckland

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Meech - Craccum News
<[14][FYI request #12379 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 4 March 2020 12:19 PM
To: legal <[15][email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Information on Sexual Harm and
Harassment Cases Brought Before the University in 2019

 

Dear University of Auckland,

 

I would like to know the number of sexual harm or harassment cases that
were reported to the university in 2019.

 

I would also like to know the number of students who appeared before the
Discipline Committee for sexual harm or harassment cases in 2019, as well
as the number of these cases which ended in a student being given a ban or
suspension from the university.

 

Please also include information on the services the university provides to
help the victims of sexual harm. Please include in this information the
amount of money the university spent on providing these services in 2019.

 

To protect the anonymity of those involved, please do not include names in
the information given.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Daniel Meech

 

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