‘Universities must rethink how to keep students safe’ explain University of Salford academics – Andrew Wootton, Dr Caroline Davey and Dr Melissa Marselle in their latest article
Students may be more at risk of crime and mental ill-health at some universities than others because of differences in the way institutions consider the safety and well-being of their students. Last year, 2.3m students started university in the UK, representing 4% of the population. These students are at greater risk of crime than other people in Britain. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 19% of full-time students were victims of crime in 2014-15, compared to 16% of all adults in the general population.
Full-time students experienced higher levels of victimisation than the general population for a number of crimes, including burglary, violence, domestic violence, mugging, robbery and theft. Specific student groups face different issues of personal safety. Recent reports show that women – who make up 56% of new UK university students – are at risk of sexual harassment and assault on university campuses.
We know that international students, who make up 19% of all UK university students, are increasingly concerned about safety. This influences their choice about whether to study in the UK or another country.
Students at risk
But universities need to stop thinking about security purely in terms of “crime on campus” and focus more on the wider pastoral care and well-being of students throughout their university life.
Living away from home for the first time is a big step. Combine this with the pressure of university life such as making new friends, homesickness, financial worries, meeting deadlines and exams – and it is perhaps unsurprising that students are also at greater risk of mental ill health.
One 2004 study involving 250 students found 52% of UK students showed evidence of psychiatric disorder – such as anxiety and severe depression – compared to 30% of the adult population. And
Tags: crime, students, university of salford
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The School of the Built Environment’s highly-successful Project Management in Construction Masters is being exported to a second country in the Indian Ocean. The postgraduate course will be available to students and professionals on the island nation of Mauritius and follows the successful delivery of the programme in Sri Lanka. It underlines a growing global demand for courses from the prestigiousSchool of the Built Environment, which is ranked in the Top 40 in the world (QS World University Rankings®) in architecture, construction and the built environment.
A launch event for the Masters programme in the island’s capital Port Louis was held yesterday (2 March), featuring a lecture on ‘Smart Cities for a bright, sustainable future’ by Dean Professor Hisham Elkadi.
The Masters which is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) will be delivered in Mauritius at the Rushmore Business School by its staff and academics from the University of Salford.
Tags: BEST, built environment, construction, postgraduate, university of salford
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Academic staff from a number of disciplines across the university have been collaborating with mammography practitioners and service users to create the WoMMeN (Word of Mouth Mammogram e Network) breast screening information and support hub. After over a year of collecting information from women through surveys, focus groups and a private Facebook user design group (100+ service users and practitioners!) the WoMMeN hub is finally ready and we plan to launch this on the 8th of March: International Women’s Day.
The hub contains all the features women told us they would want in a breast screening information and social networking space. It is intended to complement the NHS Breast Screening information which is the official documentation about the Breast Screening programme. However, WoMMeN provides an alternative approach to finding out more about breast screening by hosting a social space to chat to other women and practitioners. There are also feeds to our Twitter (@WOMMeN3) and Facebook pages to embrace a range of preferred social media platforms.
Tags: breast screening, NHS, university of salford, WoMMen
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Dr Lisa Scullion at the Sustainable Housing & Urban Studies Unit (SHUSU) has been successful in securing funding to evaluate services for homeless and vulnerable people for Riverside Derby and Justlife.
The Riverside project represents the continuation of an existing relationship with the organisation established through a number of previous projects. Riverside are one of the leading registered providers of social housing in the UK and our evaluation focuses specifically on the effectiveness of their current supported housing services in Derby from the perspective of both service users and service providers.
Tags: Brighton, Dr Lisa Scullion, ESRC, homeless, homelessness, housing, Manchester, SHUSU, university of salford, vulnerable
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