Content Note: This article contains discussion of spiking and sexual harassment.

Hughes Hall will give staff, students and security guards “awareness training” on spiking and sexual harassment.

The move was part of an investigation released this week (31/1) launched following reports of spiking at a college bop last term (26/11), where three students said they had been spiked.

According to the college, no complaints were filed.

The report revealed the college has not officially investigated any individuals linked to the injections or sexual harrasment, as they claimed these are the business of the police or official complaints. Instead, they have created new preventative measures for the safety of students.

Though the police initially investigated the event, they have since closed the case and no further action will be taken.

The college has, instead, focused on staff failings, such as pre-event arrangement and planning, and has looked into preventative measures against future re-occurrences.

At the time of the bop, the college came under fire for failing to remove a student who had been identified as harassing female students. They were also criticised, more generally, for failing to ensure student safety at the in-college event.

The college listed three areas they are working on changing to improve student safety. These alterations include: a revised set of protocols to be developed that covers all bops and similar events, awareness training for staff, security personnel and students, and a term-by-term schedule of all bops and other student events to be agreed in advance.

Hughes Hall have an on-going suspension of all college bops until the recommended changes have been successfully implemented.

An undergraduate student at Hughes Hall, Lotte Brundle, set up a petition calling for staff training following the events of the bop. In relation to the new measures, Brundle commented she is “really heartened by the college’s response.”

She continued that “Staff and students who work at the bar, and those on our MCR have been undergoing training on how to identify and combat ‘bystanding’ and sexual harassment. Working at the college bar, it has been clear to see that the college are taking active steps to help prevent incidents like these in the future.”