Respect — including self-respect — is fundamental to everything we do. We talk about respect often and use every opportunity to demonstrate and support respectful behaviours.

We cultivate respectful relationships from the start — in our initial interviews with prospective students and the first time residents meet as a group during Orientation Week. We focus on providing an informative and nurturing Orientation Week experience for new students that encourages them to build healthy relationships. 

College student leaders provide support and guidance through Orientation Week and subsequent university milestones. Our staff mentor student leaders to be positive role models and to identify and call out unacceptable behaviour. Among all our residents we foster a culture of care for each other’s physical and mental wellbeing. 

Through ongoing educational programs, we promote a culture of inclusivity and equality that supports all students to understand the link between equality and respectful relationships. We regularly host guest speakers who are experts in areas such as consent, positive relationships, and respect for sexual diversity and identity. 

To provide a safe place in which to navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood, we: 

• Cultivate a positive environment with a focus on respectful relationships and prevention of any kind of abuse and harassment 
• Respond quickly, empathically and decisively when situations occur 
• Clearly communicate reporting procedures and highlight the many support services available to students at the college, at university and in the broader community 
• Provide regular, ongoing training and education to our students promoting healthy identity development, wellbeing and understanding
• Continue to review and refine our approach

The Student Engagement Team at Emmanuel College, who are experienced staff members, supports students with their learning, personal, health and wellbeing needs. If for any reason students find themselves feeling unsafe or disrespected, we encourage them to reach out for confidential support to a staff member in the Student Engagement Team, who can advise them of their options.

Additionally, we recommend students tapping into external resources for comprehensive support. Organisations including 1800 Respect, UQ Respect at The University of Queensland, and services such as Lifeline offer confidential information, counselling, and 24/7 emergency support. Our students wellbeing is our priority, and our Student Engagement Team are here to help them access the assistance they need.

Any member of the College can make a report to College concerning the behaviour of another College member/s. Any individuals or groups who have witnessed or had something happen to them that they think has breached the College’s policies can make a report.

What happens when there is a breach of the Policy or our Code of Conduct and what are the reporting options?

A breach occurs when a member of our community does not feel safe, supported, or respected. This can be through any form of bullying, harassment, or sexual assault.

There are several options for students who have concerns about breaches of the Respectful Relationship Policy.  These options include:

• Disclosure
• Anonymous Report (see below to make an anonymous report)
• Informal Report
• Formal Report

More information can be found on the options above for current students on our e-learning platform by logging in here or by reaching out to a member of staff for further assistance and support.

To report a potential breach of the Emmanuel College Code of Conduct and Emmanuel College Respectful Relationships Policy, students can use the form below. By submitting a report, students are not initiating a formal reporting process and they have the option to remain anonymous. We will only use the information provided to put a student in contact with a member of our Student Engagement Team who will inform them of Emmanuel’s support options. 

If a student chooses to remain anonymous, we will attempt to take action with the information that has been provided. The report submitted will be turned into a case note for the student/s involved or mentioned. A risk assessment based on the information provided is completed. Please note, the anonymous report option may not result in an outcome if there is not enough information or detail that can appropriately be used to progress to an informal or formal report. 

Further information about reporting options can be found here. We encourage our students to reach out to our Student Engagement Team for confidential support at any time.