Social Safety Team for students

Undesirable behaviour can take on many forms and range in severity. What you experience or witness as undesirable behaviour is a personal perception, and what matters is how you feel about the behaviour. Examples of undesirable behaviour are:

• Sexual violence: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or other verbal, non-verbal, online or physical behaviour of a sexual nature. Read more about sexual safety. 
• Intimidation/harassment: a form of manipulation in which someone can instil fear in another person by threatening negative consequences physically, verbally or in writing. Intimidation/harassment can often be used by someone in a position of power.
• Aggression and/or violence: incidents in which a person is psychologically or physically harassed, threatened or assaulted, in this case under circumstances directly related to one’s studies.
• Bullying: repeated negative behaviour by fellow students or UM employees against which a student cannot (or can no longer) defend themselves. This may be verbal, non-verbal or physical behaviour.
• Discrimination: unequal treatment based on race, nationality, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

Codes of conduct and your rights
You can find our UM codes of conduct on our UM regulations webpage. On this page you can also find the student charter, which gives you an overview of the rights and the obligations of students enrolled at Maastricht University.

When you reach out to the Social Safety Team for students 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 for students 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 coordinator of the Student Social Safety Team for students 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.

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 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@maastrichtuniversity.nl. 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 (UM intranet)

  statute on the position of ombuds officer (UM intranet)

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

• Sexual Assault Center
• Police station Maastricht (website in Dutch, but you can call and speak to the police in English) 
• Huisartsenpost (general practitioners’ emergency post)
• Suicide prevention crisis line 113  
• Discrimination hotline and assistance (website in Dutch)
• Anonymous talk and chat line to discuss anything you are worried about