The UvA is comitted to providing a positive study and work environment in which we treat each other with respect, nobody feels unsafe and everyone can develop their talents. Students and staff must have the opportunity to address concerns, dilemmas and complaints within the UvA. They must feel they are safe to do so and that their report or complaint will be taken seriously. We want everyone to be assured they have a safe basis for their work or studies and, if necessary, to conduct difficult or critical conversations.
It has become increasingly clear over the past year that the safeguards put in within the UvA for the purposes of flagging up and subsequently addressing lack of social safety need to be tightened up.
Social safety is a broad concept, ranging from a strong culture in which people can hold others accountable, to transparent, accessible complaints procedures and the establishment of clear boundaries for conduct. Overstepping these boundaries is never acceptable. Students and staff must have a means at their disposal to raise concerns, dilemmas and complaints at the University. They must feel safe in doing so, and have confidence that their report or complaint will be taken seriously.
The (recent) past shows that improvements are required. The Executive Board is fully focused on responding effectively to reports and complaints. Consequently, we are making great strides with various actions already under way. These are outlined below.
Over the previous two years, we have reviewed and improved our system and procedures surrounding complaints and reports of inappropriate behaviour in various ways. In that respect we also drew on the recommendations of the External Commission on Social Safety and the Social Safety Taskforce, the representative advisory bodies, the Senate, the Chief Diversity Office (CDO) and various other groups. The Social Safety Memo (March 2021) contains an overview of the current state of affairs concerning social safety initiatives between 2019 and 2021, as well as the actions that will be taken from 2021.
Examples of actions that have been taken:
The following actions are expected to be completed in the very near future:
A Social Safety Taskforce was set up for the period spanning July 2019 to the end of 2020 and was tasked with advising and working on increasing the social safety of staff and students. It completed its task resulting in a report with recommendations.
The external committee that examined, on behalf of the Executive Board, the UvA’s system of reports and complaints relating to social safety, has issued its report. The independent committee has provided recommendations for ways in which the current system of social safety can be improved.
The UvA has a code of conduct for all UvA staff and students. We have also drawn up a statement on social safety together with the other Dutch universities. ead the code of conduct, house rules and the VSNU statement below.