Social Safety Team

Maastricht University (UM) is committed to fostering your academic and personal growth in a respectful, constructive and caring environment. The Social Safety Team is here to promote and support this commitment to you.

Our team works independently and is here to help you when it comes to experiencing, witnessing or being accused of socially undesirable behaviour at Maastricht University. If you encounter any issues where you feel your boundaries of social conduct have been crossed or you feel you may have crossed someone else’s boundaries, you can reach out to us. We will sincerely listen to you and collaborate with you to find ways of support. Together we will look into ways to improve your situation and everything you tell us will be kept confidential and anonymous.

Your feelings and comfort are our primary concern and actions will only be taken with your full consent.

Are you a UM employee? Contact the social safety team of the Concerns & Complaints Point for employees.

How can we help?

You can reach out to the Social Safety Team to:

  • Share your experience or worry
  • Make an anonymous report
  • Look into an informal route to improve your situation
  • Get help in filing an official complaint

The Social Safety Team deals with undesirable or socially transgressive behaviour.

When do we refer you to other services?

  •  UM Student Deans: for questions or issues regarding your legal position as a UM student 
  • Study adviser/counsellor: for academic issues or guidance in your academic path you can reach out to the Board of Examiners or a study adviser within your faculty.
  • UM psychologist: for issues related to mental health
What is socially undesirable behaviour?

Reaching out to the Social Safety Team

When you reach out to the Social Safety Team you can have a talk or meeting with one of us either online or at one of our offices that are located at various places at UM. If you would like to stay completely anonymously you can phone us and switch off your caller ID. You can find our details below.

When talking to us we regard this as an informal interaction where you can tell us your story, ask for advice and where we can explore together what options you feel are needed. You will always be in the lead, no actions will be taken without firstly discussing this option with you.

We prefer to make an anonymous report of your case. We use this information for statistics in our annual report, recognising patterns of socially undesirable behaviour within UM and being able to give a signal to either the CvB or your faculty or service centre. Your report is important in order to address undesirable situations within the UM community. These reports are anonymously which means your name and exact details will not be revealed to others.

In case you would like to file a formal complaint we can guide you in this process. 

You can also decide to directly file a formal complaint. For more information see the webpage of the Complaints Service Point (CSP).

When to contact us
You can contact the Social Safety Team if you:

  • Experience(d) socially undesirable behaviour
  • Suspect, witness or are involved in socially undesirable behaviour
  • Think you may have engaged in socially undesirable behaviour yourself
  • Are the subject of a complaint

Don't hesitate to reach out to us for support or guidance. See top of this page for direct contact or at the bottom for more details of who we are.

The role of the coordinator

The coordinator of the Student Social Safety Team is your go-to for any inquiries about social safety for students at UM. Whether you have a question, wish to make a report, want discuss instances of socially undesirable behaviour, or are unsure about a situation and don’t know who to turn to, the coordinator is here to help. You can contact the coordinator via the contact point phone number or by e-mail and you can make an appointment at the office or online. She can offer advice, direct you to the right colleague within UM or refer you to an external organisation. The coordinator works with you to identify possible steps to improve any situation, emphasising the importance of communication. 

The coordinator works closely together with the confidential advisers, but also with other UM offices like the social safety team for employees, integral safety and the student deans, for example. She can reach out to people within your faculty. She reports directly to the Executive Board by writing quarterly and annual reports and addresses situations when needed. By submitting reports (in consultation with you and anonymously), the coordinator helps UM understand and enhance social safety across the campus.

She is also there to (help you) take steps when you feel action is needed towards the other party involved. She has an overview of options within and outside of UM. You will always be in the lead, no actions will be taken without first discussing this with you and giving your consent.

If you have worries about another student’s hazardous or socially unsafe behaviour you can also contact the coordinator.

If you wish to file a formal complaint, the coordinator can guide you through the process as outlined in UM's regulations, ensuring complaints meet specific requirements and are handled by an independent committee for undesirable behaviour.

The role of a confidential advisor

A confidential adviser is here to listen to you and keep whatever you say private. They offer advice and help explore solutions to your problem with you. A confidential adviser can help you advocate for yourself and when needed join you for moral support. Any action will only be taken with your prior consent. While they are not mediators, they support you, prioritise your feelings and concerns, and always act in your best interest.  

You can also discuss with the confidential advisor whether or not you want to file a formal complaint regarding undesirable behaviour.

If you are the subject of a complaint, you also have the right to consult a confidential advisor.

What a confidential adviser does not do
A confidential adviser does not serve as a mediator, intervene in legal proceedings or investigate to find the truth.

 Make an appointment with a confidential advisor

For more about the role of the confidential adviser for undesirable behaviour, see:

  Uitleg functie vertrouwenspersoon (in Dutch)
  Landelijke Vereniging van Vertrouwenspersonen (in Dutch)

The role of the ombuds officer

The ombuds officer is an unbiased and independent discussion partner for UM students, offering advice on study-related matters. 

The ombuds officer:

  • Maintains independence and neutrality; is not an advocate
  • Facilitates discussions, but is not a mediator
  • Adheres to regulations that guarantee confidentiality and privacy
  • Does not handle issues designated for other university roles or units (e.g., student dean or Board of Examiners)
  • Provides solicited and unsolicited advice

The ombuds officer enhances the social safety of the study environment, advises the Executive Board on social safety trends, and can independently investigate in response to a report. 

If you want to request an investigation by the ombuds officer regarding UM’s conduct, send a detailed request to Claire Essers. She will inform you whether or not she has the authority to conduct an investigation.

For more about the ombuds officer's regulations and statute, see:

  regulations for the position of ombuds officer
  statute on the position of ombuds officer 

 

 Read more about the ombuds officer.

Getting support outside UM

In addition to the resources we offer at the university, the following resources outside UM are also available if you experience undesirable behaviour:

Annual report

In our first annual report for the Social Safety Team, we provide anonymised information on reports, experiences and concerns and provide recommendations for further improvement of social safety at UM.

 View the 2023 annual report for the Social Safety Team