A statement from your Elected Officers

As a Full-Time Elected Officer team of women, we are so distressed, disheartened and angry to hear what happened to Sarah Everard. To hear that 97% of women have experienced sexual harassment is so heart breaking and completely unacceptable. We also remember the murders of students Blessing Olusegun and Libby Squire, one who is yet to receive the justice that they deserve too.

As Officers, we work with the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team and Student Support to ensure that we are constantly working on making positive changes to support women, as well as supporting campaigns for gender equality and women’s rights. Situations such as the one we have seen this week only demonstrate further how important this work is and as a team of women ourselves, we will continue to fight on behalf of women everywhere.

We are sending all our love and thoughts to Sarah Everard, her family, and friends.

Our rage and solidarity to every woman out there who has been catcalled, made to walk home with their keys in their fists, fake a phone call, dodge unsolicited photos and videos on social media, had their experiences questioned and their trauma used as a joke.

We will continue to push forward to ensure that our Union and University is a safe space for all and strongly encourage students to utilise the Report and Support website to ensure you are heard.

We will keep fighting for you and for Sarah, Blessing and Libby.

Your Elected Officers.

What Support Is Available to UCLan Students?

In light of recent events, we want to reassure you that the Union building is a safe place on campus for students. Although the Union Shop and Atrium are currently closed, the Welcome Point, and the building are open to provide support - with staff on site throughout the day.

Your Students’ Union Advice team are a third-party reporting centre for hate crime. Our advisors are trained to support you in reporting any hate crimes or incidents that happen to you, or that you witness. This also includes any form of online harassment. If you are unsure whether the incident is classified as a hate crime, the team can support and advise with the steps you can take.

As an organisation, we work proactively to make change on campus- to empower all students to feel safe on campus and make decisions without fear.

Last year, your elected Womens’ Rep, Anjie, created the EmpowHER campaign with the aim to spark discussion around consent and promote the support available to students who self-define as female, who may encounter any form of sexual harassment or violence. The campaign incorporated informative awareness stalls, a women's panel discussion and self-defence classes.

The University’s Report and Support system is an easy way to report wellbeing concerns to an advisor. You can report yourself or someone else anonymously to: https://reportandsupport.uclan.ac.uk/. Options include: Mental wellbeing;  Sexual harassment; Sexual assault; hate crime; bullying and harassment and discrimination.

The University’s wellbeing team work with students struggling with their mental health. They are able to support in a huge range of situations, including, but not limited to: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Find out more here: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/support/wellbeing-service.php

If you have an emergency that requires immediate assistance from UCLan, please contact UCLan Security on 01772 892068, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can also download the SafeZone app to provide extra peace of mind on campus. Its features include:

• Call for help: this will come through to campus security wherever you are
• Raise a first aid alert – which will go through to security, if on campus, who will summon a first aider, or to the emergency services if you are outside a campus zone
• Raise an emergency alert – which will go through to security, if on campus, who will respond, or to the emergency services if you are outside a campus zone
• Report an issue or something suspicious for the security team to investigate, including social distancing concerns
• Set a ‘check in timer’ - for example ten minutes if that is how long it takes you to walk to a car park. The app will then prompt you to ‘check in’ after ten minutes, and if you don’t, it will raise the alarm with security
• Receive a notification if there is an emergency incident anywhere in the world where we know our students are studying abroad or are on an arranged trip. Security can create a virtual ‘zone’ around that area, and push information and advice to people in that area who have the app
• Show My Location – identify your exact location at the touch of a button - useful if calling emergency services or breakdown assistance

We invite you to share your experiences and any concerns you may have surrounding your safety on campus or in Preston city with us. Drop us a DM on social media at @uclansu or email us at yourunion@uclan.ac.uk.