Something to report?
We respond to notifications of sexual assault or sexual harassment, concerns raised in relation to wellbeing or behaviour, reports of misconduct and the lodgement of general concerns or complaints.
Lodge an incident or report a concern Phone +61 3 6226 2560 Email SaFCU@utas.edu.auYou can report:
- Concerns or complaints about inappropriate or concerning behaviour
- Disclosures or reports of sexual harm, including sexual assault and sexual harassment
- Child safety concerns
- General complaints about a service or your University experience
- Wellbeing concerns about yourself or someone you know
What does the Safe and Fair Community Unit do?
The Safe and Fair Community Unit (SaFCU) aims for early identification and intervention of concerning behaviour which could affect the safety and wellbeing of individuals or other community members. If you have been affected by sexual assault or sexual harassment, or observed concerning or unacceptable behaviour, or you wish to make a complaint, we encourage you to contact SaFCU.
We are here to listen, provide information and advice regarding your options and support, and where appropriate, will facilitate actions to assist you with your situation. Support and advice will be provided to everyone, regardless of whether you submit a report. For staff, your matter will be referred to People and Wellbeing.
Addressing food insecurity
TUSA's new initiative - The Food Hub, provides food relief and support on the Sandy Bay campus. It's available for all University of Tasmania students who are experiencing food insecurity. Students can Register here.
Location: The Ref*, Sandy Bay campus
Opening Hours: 11am-2pm, Mon - Fri (Including university holidays, closed on public holidays.)
*The Ref is open Monday to Friday 9am-4pm, and is a great space for students to connect, hang out and study.
Cults on campus
The University is aware of a number of predatory cult organisations that are attempting to recruit students on our campuses. These organisations use deceptive psychological tactics to target individuals they suspect to be international and/or first-year students. Cults also target people who may be sad, struggling with university, isolated, or homesick.
A cult is a group of people who have unusual beliefs and live separately from the rest of society. They are often led by a charismatic leader who controls the beliefs, behaviour, and customs of the members. Some cults are like new religions, while others are not religious at all. Cults share some things in common, like authoritarian control, extremist beliefs, isolation from society, and the veneration of a single leader. New members are often isolated from their friends and family to control their minds and create a group mentality. In most cults, the leader is the center of attention and followers adopt their beliefs and fulfill their requests.
If you are approached by someone and they seem nice, but their topics of conversation get weird… Trust your gut if you get a strange feeling about the person and/or their intentions.
- Say “No” or “Not interested” and leave the conversation. You aren’t obliged to speak to anyone, even if it feels rude to walk away.
- Contact Campus Security on 03 6226 7600 or via the SafeZone app.
- If the person is asking for help/directions, suggest Uconnect and continue to walk away.
- Be careful about the personal information you give out. Don’t give out your contact details.
- If someone is offering free food or invitations to exclusive social events, study groups or other gatherings that feel vague or too good to be true, check out any group before you join them. Do some digging online and ask around to see if anyone else has any experiences with the group before you join up.
- Consider accessing the free and confidential counselling service (Student Portal),
- Try Mindfulness, joining the gym or walking with other students,
- Check out the Wellbeing calendar (Student Portal for more ideas!
University expectations
The University's Behaviour Policy sets out the values, standards and expectations for behaviour that apply to our University community. People are the heart of our community. We want you to be safe, feel valued, and to actively contribute to our mission. Our University subscribes to the fundamental values of respect and self-respect, fairness and justice, integrity, trust and trustworthiness, responsibility and honesty.
When members of our community behave in a manner that is not aligned to our values and expectations, our focus will be on early intervention and restoration, providing an opportunity to understand the implications of inappropriate behaviour, and to rebuild responsibility and accountability. Inappropriate behaviours can be demonstrated in different ways. Please read Examples of Inappropriate Behaviour (PDF 80.5 KB) to understand more.
In circumstances where the inappropriate behaviour is of a serious nature and risks to health and safety are apparent, we will act swiftly and decisively to ensure safety for our community and to maintain our values-based culture.
A safe and respectful University community is everybody's responsibility
Below is a range of policies and procedures to assist you in understanding the processes we have in place to keep yourself and others safe.