How and where do you report transgressive behaviour?

Students and staff members who are victims of transgressive behaviour can report the incident to TU Delft. It is not clear to all students who they should approach and what is done with their report. Delta asked Rivka van Mastrigt (TU Delft Integrity Office) and Patrick Sittrop (Safety and Security Department). 

1. Who should you turn to if you are the victim of sexual or any other form of transgressive behaviour?
“This depends on the situation,” says Sittrop. “If you do not think that someone is putting you or anyone else in danger, we advise you to first talk to a confidential advisor. The confidential advisors are very familiar with all TU Delft’s rules. If you have a good connection with one of the academic counsellors, you can of course approach them. If you feel that you or someone else is in danger, contact the Safety and Security Department. You can also phone the TU Delft emergency number: +31 15 278 8888.” 

Van Mastrigt continues. “Should you experience transgressive behaviour from a fellow student or a staff member, the most important thing is to not keep it to yourself. It can be extremely hard to talk about it, but an approachable place to go for help and advice is the confidential advisors team that was mentioned previously. They are always there for you, to listen to you and support you. You can also contact them if you have witnessed a disturbing incident.” 

2. Does TU Delft only handle incidents that happen on campus?
“No,” says Sittrop. “Even if you are the victim of sexual or any other form of transgressive behaviour that occurred off-campus you can turn to TU Delft. A confidential advisor, academic counsellor or the Safety and Security Department can help you further. This could be filing a police report or getting advice on psychological coaching. If you want TU Delft to start an investigation into the incident, it is important that both the victim and the perpetrator have a clear link to TU Delft. If not, TU Delft cannot investigate the matter.” 

3. What happens after I report an incident of transgressive behaviour?
“In cases of immediate danger, the Safety and Security Department, campus security colleagues and the Emergency Call Centre room can take action,” says Sittrop. “The action they take depends on the situation and could be additional security, specific instructions for the TU Delft Emergency Call Centre should the victim call, or, in exceptional cases, giving the victim an emergency button that they can press to reach the Emergency Call Centre directly. 

“We also always advise students to talk to a confidential advisor. Should a student experience a horrific incident such as rape, it can be very distressing to have to talk about it time and again. To avoid this, a confidential advisor – and only with the permission of the student – can have a preliminary meeting about it with us. We can make sure that, should the victim wish to lodge an official complaint or an investigation follows, that the victim does not have to relive the incident again.” 

4. How does TU Delft investigate sexual and other forms of transgressive behaviour?
“In cases of illegal action such as rape, stalking, molestation or intimidation, you are usually advised to file a report with the police,” explains Sittrop.  “Luckily, and thanks to good contact with the police, TU Delft can arrange for a female police officer or community police officer take the report and thus help the student through this process. 

“Should it be an unsafe situation on campus or outside, such as an incident among students on a study trip, TU Delft sometimes investigates the incident itself. This depends on the situation, what the victim wants, the nature of the accusations, the risk of the accused harming more people, and whether the police themselves are doing an investigation. Should it be necessary, the TU Delft investigation is carried out by an external investigation agency. The investigators are specialists, often with a background in the police force. They will talk with the victim and the accused, and where relevant with witnesses. We will use the outcomes to make recommendations that we will present to the faculty.” 

5. Can you report an incident anonymously?
“Starting an investigation on an anonymous complaint or report is hard as we always need to talk to the victim ourselves,” answers Sittrop. “The accused also has the right to defend themselves in an investigation and he/she needs to know what it is about. We can issue advice in some situations. An academic counsellor or confidential advisor can then meet with us on the victim’s behalf.” 

6. I have a complaint about how my report was handled. Where should I go?
“Go to the Central Complaints Desk for students,” advises Sittrop. “The Central Complaints Desk is part of Education and Student Affairs (ESA) and is managed by the team of student deans. Depending on your complaint, the Student Counsellor decides how to best handle your complaint and who will handle it. This is often the director of education at the relevant faculty. Should you not be in agreement with the outcome, you can contact the student ombudsman. 

7. Who is responsible for the policy around sexually and other forms of transgressive behaviour?
“The Integrity Office is responsible for coordinating the policy and the activities on integrity and putting the TU Delft Code of Conduct into practice,” explains Van Mastrigt. The Code also contains an integrity statement that describes the behaviour that is expected of everyone. The document also describes the responsibilities of employees, students, guests and TU Delft itself. Apart from this, the Integrity Office is responsible for ensuring the quality, professionalism and diversity of the team of confidential advisors, who are often the first point of contact in reports of transgressive behaviour. 

Please note that reports cannot be filed at the Integrity Office, but we can help students and staff with questions about integrity. We will look at the situation and give advice. This could be to arrange a discussion on ethics or to brainstorm about applying the Code of Conduct.” 

8. What is being done to make TU Delft as safe a place as possible?
Van Mastrigt answers. “The Integrity Office is working with various departments on creating a socially safe working and studying climate where everyone feels at home. In one example, we are working with ESA on the Study Climate programme. We also help organise one-off and returning initiatives that address awareness. Safety is a returning subject at the OWee and we were involved in the How are U week, the Safety Week, and theatre performances such as the Time Out Café. 
At present we are also working on setting up regular training and peer coaching sessions for confidential advisers at student associations. Student life can be a rollercoaster of experiences. Confidential advisers at student associations help their fellow students by listening to their experiences, thinking through appropriate help with them, and pointing them to the right contact persons for further support.” 

Where can you go for help?

• Have you experienced an unwanted sexual experience and do you want to talk about it? The specialists at the Sexual Assault Center are there for you. You can chat or phone 0800-0188 anonymously and free of charge. 
• It may be useful to first talk with someone of the same age. This may feel less ‘scary’ than an adult. This could be a friend or the confidentional advisor at your study association. 
• TU Delft also offers support. You can contact the Confidential Advisor or your Academic Counsellor. 
• With your permission, your they will put you in touch with the Safety and Security Department. They guide students through the process of lodging a report if they have been the victim of sexually transgressive behaviour. 
• You may also be referred to the student psychologists. They offer short term guidance of up to three sessions. If you need long term support, they will refer you to the general practitioner or a psychologist outside TU Delft. You are also always free to contact the student psychologists if you feel the need to do so. 
• You can also contact your own general practitioner or the Student Healthcare Services (SGZ). Should the general practitioner not be available in the weekend, you can always contact the general medical centre in Delft on 015-2511930. See the website for more information. 
• As one of 10 students experiences sexual intimidation, there is a good chance that you can listen to someone. In this case, it is helpful to know how best to respond. The important thing is to stay calm. Staying calm helps the other person tell his or her story. More conversation techniques are available on #metoo gespreksetiquette (in Dutch).