Current and Prospective Students

Are you currently living on campus at a university residence? Or have you just finished Year 12 and you're applying for places to stay at uni next year? You’re in a perfect position to show your residence that students want them to make this a priority. Add your name to the petition below, and tick the box to let us know that you’re a current or prospective student.

We also encourage you to click through to the 'detailed results' page on this website and read the full survey response from your residence, or those you're considering applying to. Then send the administration at your residence an email letting them know that you support providing best-practice training to all students.

Want to know what to say in your email? Here are our suggestions:

• Start by introducing yourself - let them know who you are, and if you're a current or prospective student.
• Mention that you have seen Fair Agenda's survey of residences and you wanted to send a message supporting the provision of training to students around the prevention of sexual assault.
• Be sure to highlight anything you supported or would like to see improve based on their survey response. For example, would you like to encourage them to build on their current program? Would you like to see a sexual assault service involved in the provision of training? Would you support an extension in the amount of training provided? Or can you see that their training already meets all the best practice questions in the survey and you'd like to thank them for making that a priority?
• We encourage you to ask what, if any, plans the residence currently has to review its policies in this area, and how you can feed into that process.
• Thank the administration for their time.

Or, if the residence you live at, or want to apply for, hasn’t provided a response to the survey questions yet – we recommend getting in touch with them about that!

Here’s the type of email you might want to send:

Dear [name of college],

I am a Year 12 student who is currently applying for residences to attend. I am very interested in attending your residence, and so am writing to request some further information.

I have been shocked by recent reports of sexual violence on university campuses, and want to make sure I’m choosing a residence that is doing everything possible to create a safe environment for its residents.

I have recently read about the call for residences to provide all students and relevant staff with training in consent and sexual assault prevention. I’m also aware of Fair Agenda’s recent survey of residences to find out what, if any, training they provide.

I can see on Fair Agenda's website that you are yet to provide a response to their survey questions, and so I wanted to inquire as to the residence’s position on the questions asked about the training you will provide this year.

Thank you for your time, I look forward to receiving your response, 

....

Or, if you’d like to contact us about other ways to take action, please get in touch via [email protected]

Alumni of a university residence

The opportunity to live on campus at university is, for many of us, a unique and life-changing experience. Many of us look back at years living on campus as the source of lifelong memories and friendships. As alumni, we also often retain a strong connection to our residences, and have the potential to have significant influence over policies.

As the biggest ambassadors, and (often) potential funders for the residences in the future, alumni have a powerful voice and influence.

We encourage you to use your influence and connections to show your residence that you support them making training in this area a priority.

You can start by adding your voice to the petition below, and ticking the box to let us know you are an alumni.

Then we encourage you to click through to the 'compare' page on this website and read the full survey response provided by your former residence, and emailing them to share your thoughts on that policy.

Want to know what to say in your email? Here are our suggestions:

• Start by introducing yourself - let them know that you're a former resident, any of your ongoing ties to the college (have you ever made a donation in support of the residences' work, or student scholarships?) 
• Mention that you have seen Fair Agenda's survey of residences and that you are emailing to express your support for the residence making the provision of best practice training to prevent sexual violence a priority. 
• Be sure to highlight anything notable from their survey response. For example, can you see they provide training and you would like to encourage them to expand that? Would you like to encourage them to involve a sexual assault service as a provider of the training? Or, does the training they provide already meet all of the best practice questions included in the survey and you'd like to congratulate them on that? 
• Mention whether or not you would like a response or further information in reply to your email.
• Thank the administration for their time.

Or, if your residence is yet to provide a response, we encourage you to get in touch with them about that, to make sure they are aware of the survey, and to encourage them to provide a response. 

Parents have a critical voice and role to play in ensuring universities and residences make tackling sexual violence on campus a priority. You’re in a perfect position to show residences that parents want them to make this a priority.

You can start by adding your name to the petition below, and tick the box to let us know that you’re a parent (and/or alumni).

If your child is applying for residences who haven’t responded to Fair Agenda's survey questions, we encourage you to get in touch with them, to ask for further information about their policy in this area. The questions in Fair Agenda's survey include a number of qualitative questions regarding best-practice training, so we encourage you to use these as a reference point. You can access the questions from the survey here.

Please note: Due to the large number of residences across the country, Fair Agenda has only been able to make approaches about the survey via email. We have not been able to place individual follow up calls to each residence, so we cannot guarantee that all 210 residences have read our multiple pieces of correspondence. 

You can start by adding your name to the petition below!

Then, can you help us build momentum behind the call for all residences to make training to prevent sexual violence a priority? Click here to share on facebook and twitter.

Finally, you can chip in to help Fair Agenda keep driving change through this and other campaigns to address sexual violence.

The rate of sexual violence being perpetrated against young people across the country is shocking. As the home-away-from home for thousands of students at universities, residences are in a unique position to lead the changes needed to reduce sexual violence on campuses.

Fair Agenda members urge every residence in Australia to join the conversation about what we can all be doing to create a zero-tolerance environment for sexual violence, starting with training all students and relevant staff in consent and prevention of sexual violence.

If your residence has already participated in the survey: thank you for joining this conversation, and for your commitment to transparency. If you would like to find out more about best practice training programs that are available, we encourage you to read Fair Agenda's list of sexual violence prevention training providers that have indicated they comply with the National Standards.

If you have recently changed your policy and would like to update your results on the website accordingly please contact us via [email protected] and we will update the website as soon as possible.

If your residence hasn’t yet filled in the survey, please contact us via [email protected] to access to survey, and we will update the website to include your responses as soon as possible.

If you would like to provide any further information, or have any questions, please contact [email protected]