It has been claimed that "a college that cares more about their image rather than the safety of their students is a dangerous place to be", according to a former student of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, three years after a court found it to be negligent over an alleged sexual assault on campus.

Hasn't changed at all

A news report published in the on-line 'The Stage' magazine said that a recent post on the Campus Change Culture social media account founded by Alyse McCamish — one of the two former students who sued the college in the case — claims its culture, "hasn't changed at all".

The article by reporter Katie Chambers highlighted that the post also referred to senior staff members allegedly involved in handling her claims who remain at the school, saying that, "no student at Royal Welsh College is safe while these people remain employed."

Response

In response, the RWCMD acknowledged the concerns and further apologised for the way the college responded at the time.

However, it went on to say; "Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students. We remain committed to learning, aligning our approach with best practice, and working with students and staff to continually strengthen our culture and processes. Any form of sexual misconduct, violence or harassment is unacceptable."

It follows a previous post that 'The Stage' reported reiterated the details of the alleged assault perpetrated by a fellow student at the RWCMD in 2016, whilst referring to an ongoing sexual assault case at Cornell University in the USA, in which a woman alleges she was raped by several men at a party on campus.

Court finding

In 2023, the Central London County Court deemed the RWCMD to have failed to properly investigate claims of sexual assault made by McCamish and another student, Sydney Feder.

The court did not rule on whether or not the student accused of assault was guilty.

However, Recorder John Halford found the college did not properly investigate or report the allegations. The RWCMD did not have a policy that defined "sexual misconduct" or "sexual harassment" between students, the court heard, even though it had publicly declared it had, "robust measures, policies and mechanisms in place to prevent unacceptable or inappropriate conduct including sexual harassment".

Duty of care

He ruled that universities had a duty of care to students to investigate allegations of sexual harassment, by taking "protective steps, supportive steps, investigatory steps and disciplinary action (where appropriate)". The ruling also obliged universities to communicate reasonably with complainants.

The recent Campus Change Culture post was stated to say: "Universities must do better", adding, "People in power must do better. All men must do better."

It was reported by 'The Stage' that since publication the RWMCD had temporarily turned comments off on its social media channels, saying that "individuals in the college community were being named and targeted in online discussions".

It also stated that since the events the college had reiterated that it had "transformed its policies, processes and practices".

2023 changes

In October 2023 'The Stage' reported that the RWCMD had implemented "clear, simple guides on how to complain", which are "explained to students as an essential part of student induction" and that it was enhancing its team of mentors and tutors in the Student services team.

The college also highlighted how it now had a "systematic approach to training in policy and procedures for all colleges across the college" and that it now trained staff in inclusive practice and intimacy work.

We remain committed to learning, aligning our approach with best practice, and working with students and staff to continually strengthen our culture and processes. Any form of sexual misconduct, violence or harassment is unacceptableRWMCD

Full response

In its response to 'The Stage' concerning the latest Campus Change Culture media post, the RWCMD stated: "We are conscious of recent concerns being raised on social media relating to the 2023 court case that involved the college's approach to safeguarding and student welfare.

We are acutely aware that aspects of the way the college responded to the serious concerns raised by the women involved in this court case caused them hurt, and we are deeply sorry for this.

Over the period since the original events, 10 years ago, we have transformed our policies, processes and practices, with learning from the 2023 court case further informing this work.

This includes changes to how we respond to sensitive disclosures, deal with complaints or concerns, and support and safeguard our students."

Nothing more important

They added: "Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students.

We remain committed to learning, aligning our approach with best practice, and working with students and staff to continually strengthen our culture and processes.

Any form of sexual misconduct, violence or harassment is unacceptable."