Stuart Croft blogs on university sexual violence

University of Warwick Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft has published a blog tackling the topic of sexual violence at UK universities, including at Warwick.

The blog, entitled “Beyond Zellick”, was published on Monday 10 October and particularly attacks the Zellick Report, a 1994 publication that still guides how universities treat sexual violence on campus.

Following a lawsuit against Kings College London from a male student cleared of rape, the Zellick Guidelines were established for the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals in order to protect universities from similar court cases.

However, in reality the guidelines mean that universities are limited in their involvement with cases of sexual violence.

The guidelines explicitly tell universities that accusations of sexual violence on campus shouldn’t be investigated using internal disciplinary procedures, but left to the police to deal with.

They even advise universities shouldn’t initiate disciplinary procedures until the complainant has reported to the police. It is commonly known that only a small percentage of sexual assault victims actually report the incident to the police due to fear and stigma.

The National Union of Students (NUS) launched a campaign called #StandByMe last November to repeal the use of the Zellick Report by universities.

A Universities UK task force was also set up last year to think of new ways to tackle sexual violence in universities. The outcome of the task force is expected in November.

In the blog, Croft reiterated the zero-tolerance stance that Mike Glover, Academic Registrar, highlighted in his speeches over the Welcome Weekend.

It also follows claims in the Guardian that UK universities go so far as to cover up sexual violence on campus – claims Warwick deny happen here.

On the Zellick Report, Croft wrote: “It is outdated, inconsistently applied and even inappropriate in a number of ways: it does not reflect legal changes since the 1990s; it offers universities very limited guidance on how to handle reported incidents within our communities; it does not reflect how we should work in partnership with external support services or the police in a way that best suits the needs of all those affected.”

He also said: “At Warwick, we are actively looking at how we most effectively give guidance and support to anyone affected by sexual violence.”

Croft has stated that it was in part down to Chloe Wynne, Welfare and Campaigns Officer at Warwick Students’ Union (SU), that he decided to write this blog.

Chloe commented: “I’m so glad that this issue is finally high up on senior management’s agenda and that Stuart stood up to make his voice heard and stand in solidarity with survivors. I think Stuart is committed to working on this issue, and we will be collaborating to get better support structures in place for survivors, and for university-wide prevention of sexual violence, this year.

“From what I’ve heard outside of Warwick, next week’s report on Zellick may not go far enough in protecting survivors, so I’m sure there’s still lots more to do, not only at Warwick but within the wider sector.”

You can read the blog in full here.