Enacted and Ratified on: 24 November 2019
Updated: 29 March 2020
To be reviewed by: 2023 Annual General Meeting
A copy of the official policy document can be found here.
If you wish to make an internal complaint, please contact the Equality and Wellbeing Officer at geas.welfare [AT] gmail [DOT] com a member of the Geas Committee at geas.committee [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
You may also use the Society’s Support Form at http://geas.org.uk/support
If you wish to make a complaint to the EUSA Societies Team, please email societies [AT] eusa [DOT] ed [DOT] ac [DOT] uk.
Why do we have this procedure?
Geas aims to provide all members and attendees an enjoyable, positive experience that is free from harassment and inappropriate conduct. To these ends, we have put in place procedures to protect our members and attendees from such behaviour, and to clarify how such complaints will be dealt with by the Committee. We also recognise that raising a complaint can be difficult, and we wish to support all our members and guests to seek support and redressal for any issue they might experience.
Abridged Version
- If a member has any grievance regarding matters including, but not restricted to, breaches of the Geas Constitution, Member Responsibilities, or any relevant Society policies, or incidents of harassment or bullying (whether direct or indirect), members may make a complaint to the Equality and Wellbeing Officer. They may also make any complaint to the President or any other Executive Committee member as they feel appropriate.
- Members may also make a complaint if they feel that their wellbeing and full participation at the Society are at risk because of behaviours or actions of another member outside of Geas.
- All internal complaints will be handled by the Executive Committee and the Equality and Wellbeing Officer. They will endeavour to respond to any complaints promptly. They will ensure that any conflict or grievance is resolved in a timely manner, and will ensure confidentiality and compliance with data protection legislation in the handling of any sensitive or personal information in the complaints.
- Should a member wish to make a complaint about one or more Committee members, they may make them to a member of the EUSA Societies Team.
- The Executive Committee and the Equality and Wellbeing Officer will investigate internal complaints and examine any evidence to assess the validity of the complaint.
- Where a complaint is deemed valid, the Executive Committee and Equality and Wellbeing Officer may assist the complainant in seeking frontline resolution. The purpose of frontline resolution will be to ask members to rectify and apologise for their conduct, and to ensure that any misconduct is not repeated.
- Where a complaint is more serious, the Executive Committee and Equality and Wellbeing Officer may also take action using the Society’s internal disciplinary procedures outlined in §3.4.(a) of the Geas Constitution to safeguard the wellbeing of the membership.
- The Executive Committee and the Equality and Wellbeing Officer will also support the Complainant should they choose to escalate the matter to be investigated further by University complaints procedure or by the police as they deem appropriate. The EUSA Advice Place will be able to fully support the Complainant should they choose to do so.
- If any individual has a complaint made about them, the Executive Committee and Equality and Wellbeing Officer will explain to them the substance of the matter (while maintaining the confidentiality or safety of the complainant) and the details of any disciplinary procedures that may apply.
- For more details, consult the full version of the Complaints Procedure on the policy document.
The Equality and Wellbeing Officer can be emailed at geas.welfare [AT] gmail [DOT] com.