Call for Volunteers to become Facilitators
If you are interested in getting involved in the work of Maynooth University (MU) to promote a safe, respectful, supportive and positive campus, and to end sexual violence and harassment on campus, you can volunteer to become a Facilitator for one of the awareness raising workshops (SMART Consent & Bystander Intervention) we’ll be holding for students throughout the year.
You will receive training and ongoing support on how to deliver these workshops (materials and resource kits for the workshops will be provided).
We are looking for academics and students to get involved as Facilitators, please contact [email protected] to register your interest.
*We would greatly welcome your support and participation*
Framework for Consent in Irish Higher Education Institutions
MU is actively working to address sexual violence and harassment in higher education through implementation of the Department of Education’s (DES) Framework for Consent in Higher Education Institutions. The Office of the Vice-President for Equality and Diversity has oversight of this and has been working very closely with the Maynooth Students’ Union (MSU) to progress this.
MU Implementation Working Group
Recognising the breadth of stakeholders across the University who have a role to play in ensuring the development of an institutional campus culture which is safe, respectful and supportive, a working group of key stakeholders has been set up to coordinate the Framework’s implementation. Including: Vice President for Equality and Diversity; Vice President Welfare and Equality, Maynooth Students’ Union; Dean of Teaching and Learning; Student Support Officer; Head of Student Counselling Services; Director of Campus and Commercial Services; Director of Access; and Academic experts.
The MU implementation working group was successful in securing funding from the DES Sexual Consent Framework 2019 Call for the REPORT and SUPPORT tool partnering with the third level Counsellors Association PCHEI (Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland).
Targeted initiatives
We are also partnering with a number of other organisations to implement the programmes that they have developed, and which are being funded under the DES 2019 Call including:
- the NUIG SMART Consent Programme (two SMART Consent Drama’s have been hosted in MSU so far; Facilitator Training to support staff and students to work as teams of facilitators to effectively deliver SMART Consent workshops, will be held in MU in Sept 2020; SMART Consent 1 hr approx. workshops will then be run on campus for students during the academic year);
- the UCC Bystander Intervention Programme (an online training programme and face-to-face workshop to help bystanders intervene to prevent sexual harassment; Facilitator Training for the Bystander Intervention workshop will be held in MU later this year once the online programme is up and running);
- and the ‘It Stops Now’ National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) Campaign (held on MU campus on the 5th March 2020).
The MSU and MU Counselling services have been active in hosting workshops for students on Consent and we will build on this with the activities outlined in the Framework. An action for the working group this year will be to plan and implement a strategic programme of policy review and assessment of institutional processes. This will be complemented by consolidation of an institution-wide approach to education and awareness-raising about Consent.
Call for Volunteers to become Facilitators
If you are interested in getting involved in this work and would like to become one of our Facilitators for either the SMART Consent workshops or the Bystander Intervention workshops please contact [email protected].
We would greatly welcome your support and participation.
If you have an issue or a complaint:
MU takes all accounts of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment very seriously and we are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment in which harassment, sexual harassment and bullying are known to be unacceptable and are not tolerated.
We take the privacy of our students and staff extremely seriously and will never comment publicly on any specific incidents or allegations. All complaints are handled in accordance with our designated policies and protocols (e.g. Equality and Diversity, Anti-bullying and Harassment). These policies provide designated “access points” through which students and staff can report if they feel they have an equality issue or complaint that they would like to raise:
- students can contact their Head of Department / Programme Co-ordinator, Maynooth Student Union Vice President for Welfare and Equality, Student Services Centre, Maynooth University Access Office;
- staff can contact their Line Manager / Head of Department or Unit, trained MU Contact Persons, Equality Officer [email protected], or Human Resources.
Complaints whether informal or formal, will be treated seriously, objectively and with due regard for the rights and sensitivities of the person making the complaint and the person against whom the complaint is being made.
If anyone feels they are in immediate danger, they should contact Campus Security (01) 708 3929 or contact Gardaí and Emergency services by dialling 999 or 112 for assistance