FUSA is committed to fostering a culture of respect, safety, and inclusivity among our affiliated clubs and their members. In support of this commitment, we are introducing training for club executive committees designed to improve the safety and wellbeing of members of the clubs community here at Flinders.
Unfortunately, universities, and particularly university clubs, are not immune to incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault. The results of National Student Surveys into sexual assault and harassment in 2016 and 2021 found that the most common locations students reported experiencing their most impactful incident of sexual assault in an Australian university context were clubs and societies events and spaces (25.8%) (2021 Survey).
FUSA has a duty of care to ensure students feel safe and supported at club events and activities. We also have a responsibility to ensure that club executives are adequately trained and confident in identifying and responding to unacceptable behaviours.
As such, we are introducing two sets of mandatory Canvas modules:
Consent and Respectful Relationships
Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment
If you are an executive committee member who is neither a Flinders University student or a staff member, you will be required to familiarise yourself with the information on the Safety on Campus webpage and complete a series of questions related to this content via this form.
These modules contain discussions of relationships, dating, and sex. There will be mention of sexual harassment and sexual assault, including definitions and examples of these behaviours. If there are personal reasons why you cannot complete this course, please email studenteo@flinders.edu.au to seek an exemption and access the support services below if needed.
All Flinders students (including students studying on a campus in the Northern Territory), can access information about the support services and reporting options available at Flinders and in the community, on the Safety on Campus webpage. Contact details for community based support services for SA and NT are available on this page under the heading, 'Sexual harassment or sexual assault'.
FUSA also encourages club committee members to access the resources available as part of the Be A Better Human Campaign. Be A Better Human is a student-led campaign focused around consent, sexual harassment and sexual assault, bystander education, respectful relationships and reporting and support options for University students.