Universities across Scotland hope to improve student safety with a new national policy on collecting and sharing data on students’ criminal charges and convictions.
The initiative comes in response to the work of campaigner Ellie Wilson, whose rapist was able to continue his studies at the University of Edinburgh after he was suspended by the University of Glasgow while awaiting trial. Wilson found through freedom of information requests students facing criminal charges were routinely allowed on campus to study.
She also discovered that universities did not share information on the outcomes of sex-related disciplinary hearings, leaving offenders able to make fresh starts at institutions that potentially knew nothing about their past actions.
The new approach, adopted by all of Scotland’s 19 universities, aims to improve consistency, transparency and robustness in the use of data on a sector-wide basis. It will make data collection mandatory for all institutions as part of a student’s initial entry to university, at the post-offer stage, as well as annually on re-enrolment and will also apply to postgraduates.
