How to run safe and respectful events

Student leaders and event hosts can now turn to the Safer Spaces Event Guide (pdf, 0.51 mb) for help organising safe, respectful and inclusive events at Monash. Building on insights of the National Student Safety Survey, this guide aims to ensure the safety of all who attend our many student-led events each year.

The guide outlines the features of a safe and respectful event. It also covers the Monash support and response teams that can intervene when someone isn’t behaving in a safe and respectful way. And, for step-by-step guidance, it contains checklists to help plan and run safe and respectful in-person and online events.

Why foster safe and respectful behaviour?

Safe and respectful behaviour at our events allows everyone there to enjoy themselves, without risk of harm. By establishing guidelines for student behaviour, we can help prevent harassment, discrimination and violence (sexual and gender-based violence in particular).

Make an event safe and respectful

• Stay aware of your needs and comfort levels while maintaining respect towards others. Set and communicate your boundaries.
• Don’t assume that your physical and emotional boundaries are the same as those of others.If you want to share someone’s personal space, make sure to ask permission or wait for an invitation. And check that the person wants to continue sharing space.When your point of view differs from someone else’s, always be respectful. Spirited conversations are fine, but not personal attacks.Don’t assume anyone’s gender identity, sexual preference, race or personal history. You might introduce yourself to someone by name and pronouns and then politely ask for theirs.
• Consent means free and voluntary agreement. Every time and throughout each act. Consent to one act doesn’t mean consent to any other act. Consent to an act with one person does not mean consent to the same act with a different person, or with the same person on a different occasion. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.A person must give consent with words, actions or gestures. A belief in consent is not enough – you need to say or do something before or during the act to find out whether or not the other person has consented.
• Be aware of how your experience and privilege may have influenced your opinions and behaviour, and individuals they might exclude or harm – even unintentionally.
• Acknowledge – and apologise for – any unintended harm. Take responsibility for your words and actions.

How to handle unsafe or disrespectful behaviour

Despite your best efforts in planning a safe and respectful event, you’ll still sometimes encounter problematic behaviours and situations – ranging from inappropriate comments to more serious behaviours such as assault. The Safer Spaces Event Guide will help you prepare for this.

If you witness a problematic behaviour, you’ll have to promptly decide how to help. Different situations demand different intervention strategies, such as delegating, distracting, directing and delaying. You’ll also need to submit a confidential incident report both during and after the event.

Ways to respond

• If you decide to call someone in, approach them gently and offer a one-on-one or small-group conversation to explain why their behaviour could be harmful.If you instead decide to call someone out, find a way to bring public attention to their harmful behaviour or words.
• If you feel uncomfortable approaching an offending person, or don’t have the energy to do so, it’s okay to remove yourself from the event, space or conversation.If you’re the event leader and you’d like to approach the person, but don’t feel comfortable doing so by yourself, you should involve security services.
• We encourage you to try to have a discussion when possible, but if that isn’t an option, or you don’t feel comfortable doing so, you can report the act to the event organisers, Safer Community Unit, Monash security services or security at a non-Monash venue.You must report an incident affecting the physical security or safety of a University location to Monash security services. And you must report any serious behavioural incident, such as bullying or assault, to the Safer Community Unit.
• How you resolve a dispute will depend on your student association or area at Monash. Make sure to always follow the relevant policies for the provision and maintenance of safe spaces and activities, as well as the procedures for grievances and complaints.

Policies and procedures

• Student Code of Conduct Policy (pdf)
• Student General Misconduct Procedure (pdf)
• Community Safety and Security Policy (pdf)
• Safety and Security Incident Reporting Procedure (pdf)
• Sexual Harm Prevention and Response Policy (pdf)
• Sexual Harm Response Procedure (pdf)