Dear King's College community

King's has this year implemented a new approach to monitor, report and respond to inappropriate behaviour using the RespectX platform.

RespectX is a user-friendly way to raise your hand if something isn’t right. It is safe, easy to use, and designed by experts who know how hard it can be to come forward.

You can check out RespectX at www.respectx.com.au.

We all want a safe and respectful college community, and introducing RespectX, is one of the ways we will achieve this.

I am encouraged by some of the early insights observed from using the platform. We currently have 250+ students who have completed the online training and been onboarded in the system. 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGES 

RespectX has been implemented in nine university colleges across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and ACT, with data collected from seven so far (including King's). Across the seven colleges, 1305 students completed the onboarding process, mostly first-year students. 225 new and returning students have been onboarded so far, and we are still in the process of completing onboarding with our returning students.

Response rates for the colleges average over 60%. This is remarkable in the university setting, for example, response rates for The National Student Safety Survey (2021) were 11.6%. High response rates for our survey are the result of both high engagement by students and strong leadership within the King's College student leaders.

Overall prevalence rates in the colleges fall well below the national average, by almost half that reported in the NSSS.

The NSSS (2021) reported that 19% of students who lived in residential accommodation experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months, more than double the overall prevalence rate of 8.1% for all university settings. There is no national data comparison for bullying or discrimination.

Across all incidents of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination in RespectX colleges, 8% were reported. This is higher than the 3% reported by the NSSS. A higher reported rate suggests that residents have trust in the response process, and our survey data supports this:

• 88% agree or strongly agree that it is safe to speak up
• 82% agree or strongly agree that their organisation would take appropriate actions
• 83% agree or strongly agree that they would be supported and protected if they made a report.

However, the vast majority of incidents still go unreported. We know that access to an easy, anonymous reporting channel can make a significant difference in reporting rates. King's students agree:

• 94% of residents feel confident using RespectX
• 97% say they will report if they experience bad behaviour.
• 98% of residents with access to RespectX agree their leaders are serious about creating a safe and respectful environment.
• 92% believe that RespectX will make a positive impact on their culture.

RespectX has resonated well with university residential college students and has been a positive move by leaders to demonstrate commitment to a safe and respectful environment.

All students are encouraged to complete their RespectX reporting through the following link. https://training.respectx.com.au/kings-college-uq

ANDREW EUNSON (Deputy CEO - King's College, UQ)