JCU acting on assaults
Staff and students welcome campus review
FAR North representatives of James Cook University students and staff have welcomed a review into measures to prevent and address sexual assault and sexual harassment on the organisation’s campuses.
A report by former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick was commissioned in February in response to a rape case involving Townsville JCU staff member Douglas Steele.
It was handed down yesterday and included evidence of a lack of awareness of sexual as- sault and harassment, inadequate responses to reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault, physical spaces where people feel unsafe and a lack of clarity surrounding consensual staff-student relationships.
Cairns JCU Student Association acting president Jesse Argent was relieved by the findings but more needed to be done to make everyone feel comfortable on campus.
“To be honest it’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be,” Mr Argent said.
“I have been chatting to stu- dents about a range of different things on the Cairns campus and one is a desire for more lighting in areas, more security, extra people around so there is someone who they can call on for help.
“They’ve got the basics and it is improving. I sat in on a masterplan debrief last week and it looks like JCU have taken the student voices and opinions on board. Now we just have to make sure it happens.”
National Tertiary Education Union president Jonathan Strauss said sexual harassment was a problem in universities right across the country.
“We can’t pretend in Cairns we don’t have issues like this we have to address,” he said.
Ms Broderick said there was a strong appetite for change at JCU.
“Implementing the changes described in the review will position JCU as a leader among Australian and international universities, a university taking a strong and sustainable stand against sexual harassment and sexual assault,” she said.
Vice Chancellor Professor Sandra Harding said she had already responded to some of the allegations raised in the report and was responding to other allegations made.
“I urge those with information about any incidents, including those mentioned in the report, to contact us so that we can better address these issues,” she said.