Three female law students allege they were sexually harassed on campus by another student
Outraged students at Australia’s top law school have criticised the institution’s “systemic failings” over its handling of sexual harassment allegations on campus.
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Students at Australia’s top law school have accused the institution of “systemic failings”, including the mishandling of sexual harassment allegations.
The Herald Sun can also reveal students are being forced to sit on the floor during classes due to overcrowding.
Multiple Juris Doctor students have come forward detailing a litany of complaints within the law faculty at the University of Melbourne.
It comes after the university’s Dean of Law Professor Matthew Harding abruptly resigned from the esteemed role last week.
He informed students of his resignation over email which will take effect by the end of March.
Students who commenced a Juris Doctor at the university this year are forking out a total of$137,600 in course fees over three years.
Among the allegations include at least three female law students being sexually harassed on campus by another student at university events during the first semester of 2022.
“The student was found guilty in an internal investigation and was only suspended from the university for six months and allowed back into classes after that as if nothing had happened,” one law student told the Herald Sun.
“This completely retraumatised victims involved and what’s worse is that he has been able to secure a job at a top law firm because the investigation was internal and confidential.
“He bore no consequences and it reflects how the institutional responses to these issues have been really terrible,” they said.
The Herald Sun has been told that the alleged male student was then employed by the university as a research assistant in January 2023.
A University of Melbourne spokeswoman said the safety and wellbeing of the university community was of the highest priority and any experience of sexual assault and sexual harassment was completely unacceptable.
“The University of Melbourne is committed to addressing all forms of sexual misconduct. Education is a cornerstone of our approach,” the spokeswoman said.
“As part of their enrolment and induction, students complete mandatory training on consent to understand their expectations and rights regarding personal conduct in relationships with others.
“We urge any student with allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct to come forward via our Safer Community Program so these matters can be addressed, and support provided.”
It’s understood the victims involved did not go to police over fears for potential repercussions for their future legal careers.
Students also say that some elective classes have become so “overcrowded” that they are being forced to sit on the floor.
“The end of last year was pretty bad with there not being enough space in classes and people sitting on the floor,” another law student said.
A recent TikTok video posted by a University of Melbourne law student also details complaints of students sitting on the floor in classes.
“This morning I had a class and I was sitting on the floor because there were no seats available … this should open a really serious conversation about university rankings,” he said.
A third-year law student said timetabling issues were so bad that some students have to wait an additional six months to a year to complete their degrees.
“This has been causing us major delays because the university is scheduling core subjects at the same time as elective classes,” a law student said.
Other complaints include the Student Equity team “continuously failing” to support students.
“It takes weeks for our core support service at the university to let students know if we are getting special consideration. We are not finding out until the day of our exams in some cases,” a law student said.
Students also criticised high course fees, saying they were not receiving a quality education.
“Fees have increased and HECS is obviously indexed quite highly. The fees are more than $100,000 and these systemic failures that are taking place render the worth of the degree and it’s pretty negligible,” another student said.
“The students haven’t been listened to. The university has a responsibility to listen to the people that are keeping it going,” they said.
The university spokeswoman added: “Melbourne Law School is sorry for recent administrative issues which some students have experienced and is working to address them comprehensively.”
“On overcrowding, we ask students to only attend the classes they have enrolled for so all students can continue to be accommodated safely on our campus,” they said.
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