ALL students at St Andrews University will be given mandatory lessons on consent after allegations of rape and sexual assault emerged.
Allegations were made on an Instagram account called St Andrews Survivors, which shared anonymous accounts of sexual misconduct at the Fife university and in the town generally.
Now St Andrews University will introduce a “compulsory orientation module” beginning in the next academic year. It will require students to learn about consent and sexual assault as part of an online course before they arrive.
A spokesperson for the university said: “We welcome the ‘St Andrews Survivors’ account’s efforts to provide people of all genders a space to voice their experiences of sexual misconduct.
“The Proctor met with the account creator this week to establish how we can work together to signpost support and reporting mechanisms to students who require them.
“It is categorically untrue to suggest the university tried to suppress survivor testimonies, as the account creator has made clear.
“The university’s primary concern is to ensure survivors know that we are ready and willing to support their decisions and take action, facilitate police reporting, and provide ongoing support accordingly.
“We appreciate these are difficult issues to speak about, but our student services team has a 90% satisfaction rating amongst students, and survivors who wish to see perpetrators investigated must be willing to make reports through the appropriate channels.
“We have clear and established procedures for investigating allegations of this nature.
“However, the details of any investigations must remain confidential to offer appropriate support and fair outcomes to all concerned. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on whether any specific individual or group is under investigation.
“The university will always act when incidents are formally reported, and is committed to working collaboratively with students to promote a culture of responsibility and respect, in which everyone can trust in our procedures and that our community is intolerant of all forms of sexual misconduct.”
Police Scotland’s North East Fife community inspector Yvonne Stenhouse said officers are aware of online reports and are working with the university.
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