JUNIOR COMMON ROOM
Welfare at Univ
Students should feel free to approach their own tutors or any member of the welfare team about any issue or difficulty that may be concerning them. Problems might overlap several areas and you will probably want to approach someone with whom you feel comfortable. The following are a few of the most common concerns and the welfare team members who are best placed to handle them. Remember that every person mentioned below is available to listen to any concern and confidentially provide support and reassurance.
WELFARE TEA
Welfare Tea takes place every week in our JCR; anyone can go and sit and grab some free snacks and drink and just have a catch up! Some weeks there are fun collaborations such as sustainabiliTEA (a collab with the Environment Reps) and amnesTEA (a collab with Amnesty international).
CONDOM COMMODORE
Condom Commodore (the reason for the name seems lost in Univ’s history) is a free and completely confidential service from the JCR, providing contraceptives and pregnancy tests. Requests can be made via anonymous form or by contacting the commodore and we can also refund purchases if you send us the receipts.
WELFARE WEEK
Welfare Week takes place in fifth week each term to encourage everyone to re-centre and focus on their mental health halfway through the term. We put on events which foster a sense of community and promote open dialogue about mental health - college welfare is about everyone having each others' backs.
"SOMETHING IS BOTHERING ME AND I DON'T KNOW WHO TO GO TO FOR HELP"
The Welfare Officers are students that are able to offer a listening ear at any time. Their job is to help you navigate the welfare provision available to you and may refer you to people who are equipped to handle your specific concerns. They also actively seek feedback about the welfare system and introduce initiatives to tackle problem areas. Concerns about how your welfare issues have been handled or complaints about the support you've received are handled by them.
"I WANT TO DISCUSS DIFFICULTIES I'M FACING WITH AN OLDER STUDENT"
The College Peer Support Programme consists of Univ students who are trained and overseen by a member of staff at the University Counselling Service. They have received training to enable them to listen effectively, communicate sensitively, maintain confidentiality, respect boundaries and recognise when and how to encourage referral to professional support services.
"I THINK I HAVE EXPERIENCED HARRASSMENT AND I WANT TO DISCUSS MY OPTIONS"
Any student or member of staff who feels they are, or may be, being harassed may contact one or more of the Harassment Advisors. In addition, a number of college staff have received formal training from OSARCC in responding to disclosures of sexual violence, including the harassment advisors.
Sarah Harper
Trevor Sharp
"THERE HAS BEEN AN ACCIDENT OR EMERGENCY"
The Lodge is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for most of the year. Porters are trained in first-aid, and should be contacted immediately after 999 in an emergency so they can direct emergency services. The Lodge number is 01865 276602 and, if it is unstaffed, the Porters' mobile telephone number is 0777 5764117.
Junior Deans who are usually graduate students at Univ. At least one Junior Dean is always on duty and should always be contacted if there is an accident or emergency in college (the Lodge will have their contact numbers). They are also contactable if you are concerned about another member of College.
"I THINK I HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION AND I WANT TO MAKE SOMEONE AWARE"
Jo Hoskins is available as a first point of contact for students who might want to talk to a member of staff about any issue affecting their welfare. Jo also coordinates the implementation of support for disabled students in college. She can talk to you about your situation, help you to decide if you would like to make a formal disclosure of disability and guide you through the disclosure process. Disabilities take many forms and you can learn more about eligibility for support here:
Jo Hoskins
Email, in 10 Merton Street, Ground Floor, "Academic Affairs Office"
"I NEED IMMEDIATE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT"
[TW-SUICIDE]
The Oxford Nightline is a confidential information and listening service run by students for students. It can be reached every night during term from 8pm to 8am, by phone 01865 270270 (reverse charges accepted, or free from a University phone) – or by calling in at the flat at 16 Wellington Square for coffee and a chat. There are always two people in the office, one male and one female. Strict confidentiality is assured.
If you begin to think about suicide, please access support as soon as possible. Talk to a member of the welfare team; we will always have time to listen, we will take you seriously and we will offer non-judgmental support. Alternatively, you can make an appointment with the college doctor to talk through your experiences. You can also call a helpline dedicated to listening to and supporting people who are experiencing thoughts of suicide:
Samaritans: Call 116 123 (24 hours a day, every day, calls are free)
or see the website here.
"I'M LOOKING FOR SUPPORT FOR A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE"
Dr Sarah Leung is the College Counsellor. Sarah trained as a Clinical Psychologist and is on-site and available to see Univ students, for pre-booked appointments, on Wednesday in 0th week through 9th week from noon - 4pm.
The University Counselling service offers a wider support provision including group counselling, psychoeducational workshops, and other types of support. They are available at any time of the year and are not associated with College at all. Many students find that this service is helpful both short-term and long-term.
Univ's Counsellor:
OU Counselling Service:
"MY CONCERN IS MEDICAL IN NATURE"
The College Nurse, Victoria Manellari, offers regular surgery hours during term-time. Students are welcome to consult her, in confidence, on all matters of health and wellbeing. Please note that all consultations will be recorded on a secure data base and passed onto the GP records. If you are not happy with this, please let Victoria know.
Office Open: Monday-Thursday, 12:30-15:00
"I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE SPEAKING TO ANY OF THE ABOVE"
This is just a small section of the welfare team at Univ. We aim to ensure that every student feels comfortable reaching out to one of us in the first instance by having a wide variety of people you can reach out to. For the comprehensive list of people and resources available to you, within college and out, please click below:
FEEDBACK AND COMPLAINTS
If you wish to give feedback on the welfare system, or complain about the support you've received, you can do so anonymously here.
Please note that these complaints are handled by the JCR Welfare Officers and it may be hard to pursue them if they are submitted anonymously; please only do so if you need to. You can indicate a preference for being contacted in regards to this issue.