Ninth Level Ireland

“A survey is set to be carried out into harassment, sexual harassment and bullying in the country’s higher education institutions. The survey, which will look into harassment and bullying of both staff and students, was confirmed by Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris …” (more)

[Michelle McGlynn, Irish Examiner, 26 November]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has confirmed a survey is to be carried out into harassment, sexual harassment and bullying of both staff and students in our higher education institutions …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 26 November]

“All third level colleges are to be required to measure cases of sexual harassment and bullying of staff and students as part of new ‘zero tolerance’ initiative to create safe campuses for all. Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris TD is to announce on Thursday that higher education institutions will be required to record and report these statistics annually from now on …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 26 November]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which bullying has been identified in academia; the actions taken in response; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 October]

“University College Dublin (UCD) has released new drafts of their Dignity and Respect Policies for review to students and staff this week. The four documents contain proposed revisions of the University’s Dignity and Respect Policy, which concern bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct and how these issues will be dealt with by UCD’s Management team moving forward …” (more)

[Isobel Dunne, College Tribune, 7 October]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of incidents of bullying, intimidation or harassment including sexual harassment reported in each of the past five years to date in third-level institutions; the extent to which such allegations were investigated; the action taken arising therefrom; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 17 September]

“All first year students in University College Dublin (UCD) must complete an online bystander intervention module as part of their orientation this September. Students will not be awarded academic credit upon successful completion of the module. The introduction of the Bystander Education programme forms part of a series of initiatives established in UCD to deal with the issue of sexual harassment and violence, both on campus and in the wider community …” (more)

[Nessa Collins, College Tribune, 14 August]

The full (draft) Programme is here; extracts related to third level are here.

“UCC are investigating after some online posts were made targeting a number of female students. A probe has been launched after over 20 women had their pictures posted on an Instagram account which appeared to run a competition where viewers could rate them based on their looks …” (more)

[Gavin O’Callaghan, CorkBeo, 3 April]

“An anti-sexual abuse course developed in University College Cork is to be made mandatory for all new students at University College Dublin. The bystander intervention course, which focuses on how to help when you see someone at risk of predatory behaviour, was developed by UCC’s vice dean at the School of Law, Dr Louise Crowley …” (more)

[Shane Raymond, Irish Examiner, 25 February]

“A mandatory 90-minute lesson on how bystanders can intervene in cases of sexual harassment or assault will be taken by some 5,500 incoming first-years at University College Dublin in September. The aim of the lesson, which will be embedded into the orientation programme for first-year students, is to ‘equip students with the confidence to intervene in small ways in the event they do see something or experience it themselves’ …” (more)

[Jade Wilson, Irish Times, 25 February]

“This morning I came across a piece in the Guardian about a report from the UK Office for Students about hate crime and sexual harassment in Universities. One of the recommendations of the report is that that Universities should hire specialist staff to investigate sexual harassment …” (more)

[In the Dark, 12 June]

“All third-level colleges should be obliged to provide classes on sexual consent for students or risk losing State funding, a Government-commissioned report has recommended. The report follows rising concern over the level of rape and sexual assault on college campuses …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 19 March]

“University College Cork students will unveil a mural on Monday calling for an end to sexual violence and harassment in third-level institutions. It is part of a campaign by the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) to create a culture of zero tolerance towards such behaviours …” (more)

[Barry Roche, Irish Times, 28 January]

“A culture of zero tolerance to verbal or physical sexual harrassment is to be encouraged at one of the country’s largest universities by the expansion of an intervention programme to all 22,000 students …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 28 January]

“As stories of harassment and bullying multiply in the media (social and otherwise), it is worth thinking about what it is in management and leadership that lets situations get out of hand. Too often I hear the phrase that someone is ‘on the spectrum’ provided as a rationale for why they aren’t too good at interpersonal relationships within a lab or team …” (more)

[Athene Donald’s Blog, 13 January]

“The economics profession is facing a mounting crisis of sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying that women in the field say has pushed many of them to the sidelines – or out of the field entirely. Those issues took center stage at the American Economic Association’s annual meeting …” (more)

[Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 10 January]

“The topic of harassment, and more particularly sexual harassment, has certainly risen up the agenda in the past year or so in many different sectors. In universities, too, the topic has gone from being unmentionable (if privately acknowledged) to something that urgently needs to be tackled …” (more)

[Athene Donald, University Times, 9 September]

“Some 70% of female students and 40% of male students experienced sexual hostility or crude gender harassment by the time they were finishing third-level education, a study by NUI Galway researchers has found. The same proportion of women (70%) and more than 60% of men surveyed also felt sex education at secondary school wasn’t satisfactory …” (more)

[Lorna Siggins, Irish Times, 7 August]

“I had looked forward to our association conference for months. I would be reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, visiting a new city, and hearing about exciting work in my field. In many respects, the event exceeded my expectations …” (more)

[Amber Pouliot, Guardian, 3 August]