Stay up to date with our work
Our monthly updates are a great way for you to stay up to date with our work, events, and higher education news.
Last updated on Tuesday 20 Dec 2022 at 10:26pm
UUK, in collaboration with Newcastle University, has launched Initiations at UK universities to raise awareness of the dangers of initiations and excessive alcohol consumption among students.
The briefing includes a consensus statement on the best way forward from stakeholders across the university and health sectors, examples of emerging good practice, and recommendations for universities including the following:
Adopt a clear definition of what constitutes an initiation which focuses on prohibited behaviours
Foster cross-working and a whole university approach. This means including work to prevent initiations as part of strategies to tackle harassment and promote good wellbeing and mental health
Evaluate new initiatives and share knowledge and good practice, continuously assessing progress being made
Update or develop policies and practices to explicitly refer to initiation events and the problems that arise from them
Ensure proportionate disciplinary processes and sanctions are in place, noting that a “zero tolerance approach” is unhelpful as it implies initiations do not happen
Provide clear reporting systems and advertise support available to students
Raise awareness of initiations and their risks among students and staff
Organise appropriate staff training, identifying the levels of training needed for different staff. First responders will need the most training, for example.
Work with the local council, licensees and partners to ensure the campus environment promotes responsible behaviours towards drinking
Work with alumni to encourage an increased sense of responsibility for the safety of student groups and societies of which they were a part
Our monthly updates are a great way for you to stay up to date with our work, events, and higher education news.