THE COLLEGE’S WELFARE STRUCTURE
1. The Academic Registrar has responsibility to oversee the co-ordination and effective operation of the various elements of the College’s welfare structure.
2. The College appoints two Welfare Advisors, one male and one female, who are usually be Tutorial Fellows who do not hold office of Academic Director, Dean or Chaplain. The names of the Advisors will be well publicised to the undergraduate and graduate student body, together with an email address at which they may be contacted, and their office telephone number.
3. Advisors may be consulted by graduate and undergraduate students on any matter of a personal nature. The Advisor will proffer advice, which may include reference to other appropriate sources of advice, but should not engage in any form of formal counselling or health treatment. Where such are deemed necessary, the student should be referred to the appropriate professionals. In cases where the student raises issues concerning the conduct of other members of the college, the advisor should follow the appropriate procedures, for example, under the College’s Code of Conduct regarding harassment.
4. If an Advisor considers that the circumstances of a particular case are of sufficient seriousness that it might become relevant to have the information available at some time in the future, the fact that there has been contact between the student concerned and the advisor should, with the student’s consent, be noted on the student’s file, but without any further information given.
5. Welfare Advisors should keep a record of their meetings with students, and follow the College’s Confidentiality Policy, published together with the College Regulations on the College’s website.
6. The Dean and the Deputy Dean (or Deans) are normally Fellows of the Governing Body who are specifically charged under the College’s Regulations to deal implement the College’s disciplinary regulations. Under these, they have power to investigate alleged breaches and to impose limited penalties. More serious cases must be referred to the Master (or Vicegerent), and in those cases the Dean merely presents the case for the Master to decide.
7. The Dean receives reports from the Junior Deans in cases of emergency, and has responsibility to contact third parties where necessary. The Dean reports to the Academic Registrar or Academic Director any cases where a student’s academic work may be affected by adverse health or other circumstances.
8. In disciplinary cases, the College Regulations state:
3.15 (d) The Dean or Bursar may inform the student’s tutor or tutors of the matter, depending on its seriousness.
9. Guidelines approved by the Senior Tutors’ Committee in 2002, and re-confirmed in 2008, state that “information about (non-academic misbehaviour) must not be allowed to influence academic decisions; indeed such information should not be referred to at all in any document or discussion dealing with academic discipline”.
The Dean should not therefore as a matter of routine, inform the Academic Director about disciplinary infractions of students. However, where the consequences of an infraction are likely to affect a student’s courses, especially if this would be a serious disruption, the Academic Director would need to be informed. However, the Academic Director should not allow the fact of an infraction of this kind to influence decisions of an academic nature.
10. The College appoints three Junior Deans who should be persons able to perform their roles appropriately within a community of students which is diverse as regards gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.
11. The Junior Deans are responsible to the Dean and Deputy Dean (or Deans), but in practice have contact with all the Fellows and College staff at all levels. A successful Junior Dean acts as a tactful liaison officer between junior and senior members and the College staff. For the better performance of the duties, Junior Deans are required to reside in College. A Junior Dean should get to know the students. For this purpose, a Junior Dean is required, as directed by the Dean, to organise and/or be involved in a series of social functions for all students. These may include Junior Deans’ dinners, organised by the Junior Deans for first year students, which are held on approximately eight occasions in the early part of the year.
12. Junior Deans should seek to become aware of cases where students may have actual or potential difficulties so that they can advise the student of sources of assistance and thereby try to defuse potential problems before they arise. If a student’s health or behaviour is giving cause for concern, this should be reported to the Academic Director or Academic Registrar rather than to the Dean unless the Junior Dean believes that the college’s disciplinary regulations may have been, or are at risk of being, breached, or the safety of other students is at risk. Junior Deans are not expected to contact third parties (for example, the parents of a student) except in cases of emergency.
13. Junior Deans are not professional counsellors, and should not therefore engage in any formal counselling activity beyond giving informal advice. Their role is primarily to direct students to appropriate sources of help where necessary. However, they have a major function in dealing with any emergency situation that may arise with respect to students, at whatever time. In such circumstances they should keep the Dean or the Deputy Dean informed.
14. Junior Deans may be asked to assist Welfare Advisors, the Academic Registrar, the Academic Director or the Dean in dealing with particular cases. Junior Deans are the secretaries for the College Welfare Committee, which meets each term. In addition to the pastoral role, the Junior Deans have specific responsibility for ensuring that student functions such as parties and dinners operate within the College’s rules. As far as is practical they are required to be aware of problems involving the College bar. In this regard it is important for the Junior Deans to have a good working relationship with the Bursar, Home Bursar and other staff such as the Head Porter and other porters.
15. Junior Deans are required to attend the special training for Junior Deans provided by the counselling service.
16. A Welfare Committee meets once a term. It is convened by a Junior Dean, who acts as Secretary. The following are members:
The Dean (or Deputy Dean); the Academic registrar; the Academic Director; the Home Bursar; both Junior Deans; the Welfare Advisors; the Chaplain; the College Nurse; a member of the University Counselling Service; the Welfare Representatives of the JCR and MCR; a Disabilities Representative of the JCR.
17. The Committee keeps under review the welfare arrangements within the college, discusses specific issues, and considers developments in the area (for example, concerning disability provision).
18. The role of JCR welfare officers is set out in the JCR Constitution, and the JCR arranges for certain students to receive Peer Support Training.
19. The role of the Chaplain is set out as follows in the Further Particulars of the office of Chaplain:
The Chapel, though Anglican in tradition and statute, extends a welcome to all, and the Chaplain needs to have sympathy with different traditions and denominational affiliations, and is expected to be available to all members of the College - of any denomination or faith, or of none - for consultation on any pastoral issue.
20. The College Nurse holds regular dispensary hours during term during which she may be consulted by all students on medical matters. The present Nurse also holds a post-graduate diploma in counselling and is a qualified counsellor registered with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists.
21. The Welfare Advisors, the Dean and the Academic Registrar and Academic Director may refer students to the Nurse. The Nurse is an independent practitioner but may inform the Academic Registrar or Academic Director about a student with that student’s consent.
22. The University Counselling Service is external to the college. However, students are made aware of it, and a counsellor from the service is present during Fresher’s Week and attends the College Welfare Committee.
23. All students are required to register at a NHS practice on joining the college. The College provides financial support to the practice. Students who are so registered are able to hold consultations with the doctors at short notice. The Academic Registrar maintains close communication with the doctors at this practice, and the practice provides much guidance to the college and to students on medical issues.