Harper Adams Students' Union reposted this
Vice-Chancellor & CEO @Harper Adams University | Organisational Leadership | Fellow St. George’s House Windsor Castle | Ironbridge Gorge WHS | Non-Exec Director and Chair | Inclusion | LGBT+ identity & ally | Dog Lover
Let me express my thanks to the Students’s Union and to the executives of the Harper Adams student clubs and societies for meeting me today as part of their training. I thanked them for stepping up to lead and their commitment to how they will do that. I outlined my position on respect: To feel belonging, people need to feel respected and safe. There is no tolerance for initiations at this institution and anything that creates harmful, abusive or humiliating experiences for students That the characterisation of past actions in the media today affects all of us today and into the future That I want our students to be recognised for the positive impact they can have. When individuals act against the respect of others they harm themselves. I invited a number of execs to speak to what respect means in their club and society and what active steps they will take to secure it. I was impressed with the engagement with what was being discussed and the unequivocal commitment being made to respect now and in the future. The challenging details of past events as reported nationally has galvanised this group to be clear on who they are and what they stand for. My session came as part of a broader training session for the new execs before they recruit members this year. Later this afternoon, I joined HASU President, Daisy Douglas in signing our joint Respect Pledge. We have captured most club execs signatures and commitment and the rest will be done at the session on Friday. The Respect Pledge will be erected on the wall of our Faccenda building as a constant reminder of the commitment we have all made, and the implications of what it means. Importantly, I asked them to sign if they believe in and commit to it. Not because I asked them to. Their reaction to the session was unequivocal. The pledge signing is not a gimic. It is not a token. It is an integral part of the significant work that this institution, Students’s Union and community to embed respect in all we do. Individuals may still act in ways which we will never condone. Our students are clear what the implications are if any individuals do. No student deserves to experience abuse, harm or humiliation. This group have joined the University’s and the HASU’s commitment to ensure they do not. #togetherwewillmakethedifference #harperadamsuniversity #harperadamsstudentsunion #respect Harper Adams University Harper Adams Students' Union #respectpledge