TRINITY COLLEGE
INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE CULTURE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
January 2025
Jenny Ethell
Alexandra Shehadie
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
In August 2024, the Warden of Trinity College, Professor Ken Hinchcliff, engaged expert independent consultants Jenny Ethell and Alexandra Shehadie (the Consultants) to conduct a review of the current culture of the College (the Review).
The purpose of the Review was to examine the current College culture through the experiences of students. This included determining whether strategies implemented by the College to strengthen the culture were having a positive effect and whether there were areas that required greater focus.
The Review was initiated as a proactive examination of Trinity’s culture. It was not called in response to a specific incident or because of adverse publicity. It was instigated because the College was keen to understand the strengths of the current College culture and whether any changes or refinements were required.
The Review is part of Trinity’s ongoing approach to regularly examine its culture and student experiences to ensure the College is safe, respectful, diverse and inclusive. Part of Trinity’s approach included engaging the
Honourable Professor Marcia Neave AO to review the College’s culture in 2019 (the Neave Review). That report made 32 recommendations of which 30 have been implemented. This Review builds on the work undertaken by Trinity since the Neave Review.
1.2 METHODOLOGY
Qualitative and quantitative research tools were used to gather the evidence for the Review.
Trinity students were offered a range of options to maximise their participation in the Review process, including attending voluntary focus groups, engaging with a Consultant in a one-on-one confidential interview, providing a written submission and responding to a College-wide anonymous online survey. Students’ engagement with the Review was open, candid and insightful and their experiences and views underpinned the Review’s findings and recommendations.
The survey was sent to all 370 students and was completed by 275. This represented a 74% response rate - a robust sample which gives significant weight to the reliability of the results.
The survey explored key themes related to College culture and students’ experiences. Using the Likert Scale and a series of open-text questions, students were asked about their views and experiences of issues such as belonging, sense of safety, diversity and inclusion, support (both academic and wellbeing), the accessibility and use of alcohol, engagement with staff, student leadership, experiences of harmful behaviours and reporting these behaviours. Students were also asked demographic questions on their gender, year level, their usual residence outside of College, whether they identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, whether they were international, whether they had a disability, and whether they received a scholarship.
Nine focus groups, facilitated by one of the Consultants, were conducted including eight with students and one with Residential Advisers. These sessions were conducted by year groups, with women only, men only and with an all gender group. Specific focus groups were also offered to student leaders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and LGBTIQA+ students. The focus groups allowed for a deeper exploration of the themes identified in the survey as well as issues important to the students that were relevant to the College culture. The focus groups provided a forum for students to openly and honestly discuss their views and experiences of Trinity culture in a psychologically safe setting.
Twenty-one individual student interviews were conducted. The interviews were held in person or remotely. They provided students with a confidential setting to share personal or sensitive information that they might not have felt comfortable doing in a focus group.
Focus groups and interviews also provided students with the opportunity to make suggestions on initiatives that could be introduced to build on the strengths of the College culture.
1.3 OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS
The evidence showed that overall, Trinity College has a strong, healthy and positive culture. Staff and students alike share a deep commitment to ensuring that all students have opportunities to thrive. Trinity has implemented a range of strategies and initiatives in recent times to embed a healthy and values-driven culture. Undertaking the independent Neave Review and this current independent Review are two clear examples of Trinity’s visible commitment to regularly evaluate its culture and to make improvements where required.
The survey results showed that there are many strong aspects of the culture at Trinity. Among the results were that:
• 95% of student respondents feel safeboth physically and psychologically;
• 87% of student respondents have a strong sense of belonging;
• 94% of student respondents have meaningful friendships;
• 100% of student respondents actively participate in college activities, clubs and societies;
• 96% of student respondents actively participate in bar nights and social events.
• 96% of student respondents actively participate in corridor activities.
• 83% of student respondents feel comfortable speaking with a staff member if they are concerned about another person’s behaviour or they experience any behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Much of the information from the focus groups and interviews supported these findings. Students also considered that the academic programs and opportunities for networking were of considerable value. In addition, they found that residing at Trinity assisted them greatly in their transition from high school to university and offered a supportive and nurturing environment to grow into adulthood.
However, like most organisations, including residential colleges, Trinity’s culture needs constant review and refinement. This allows it to remain effective, inclusive and aligned with the organisation’s goals and the evolving needs of its people. Inevitably this process can uncover areas that may need strengthening or improvement. Unsurprisingly then, during this Review the Consultants identified some areas of the Trinity culture that require further focus.
In the survey and in focus groups and interviews, some students identified concerns that detracted from their College experience. These concerns included:
• Challenges to inclusion and fitting in. Students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse experiences can encounter challenges to inclusion and fitting in with their peers and the broader College environment;
• The strong focus on alcohol at events and limited non-alcoholic events. Nondrinkers reported feeling excluded, on occasion;
• Training on wellbeing and psychosocial hazards. On the whole training was considered useful however there was a strong view that its impact would be strengthened by contextualising training material to the College environment;
• Residential Advisers (RAs) and Student Coordinators (SCs). Students strongly supported the model of RAs and SCs with many commenting on the value and effectiveness of those in the roles. However, there were some students who felt that the level of engagement with students was not always consistent among these office holders with some having a strong presence, and others having a limited presence. In addition, RAs in particular commented that they can, on occasion, feel the emotional weight of distressing disclosures from students;
• Staff and student communication. Students, and student leaders in particular, have a largely positive relationship with staff. However, they believed that communication between staff and student leaders could be strengthened in relation to decisionmaking and decisions that affected them.
1.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
In developing recommendations to address these issues, the Consultants have drawn on the students’ observations and experiences and on best practice strategies. The recommendations also build on the strong foundational work already undertaken by Trinity.
The recommendations include that Trinity College:
• continue to strengthen inclusion by acknowledging and considering students’ diverse backgrounds and unique lived experiences when making relevant decisions;
• regularly review the College’s policies that relate to culture to ensure they remain current and reflect best practice;
• ensure effective face-to-face training on wellbeing, the Code of Conduct, and how to make a complaint, is provided to all year groups, and ensure all training is evaluated to monitor its effectiveness;
• offer a greater range of non-alcoholic drinks and more alcohol-free events to both enhance inclusion and to act as a harm minimisation strategy;
• develop a rolling communication strategy that:
• continuously emphasises the unacceptability of harmful behaviours and includes examples of those behaviours; and
• strongly encourages students to report incidents of harmful behaviours if they experience or witness it. The purpose of this is to encourage greater reporting of incidents as some students disclosed that they were unlikely to raise a concern or a complaint for fear of retribution or social consequences.
• develop a guide or memorandum of understanding between student leaders and staff that makes clear, as far as possible, the scope, nature and expectations around communication between the two arms of leadership;
• annually review the engagement and effectiveness of RAs and SCs and ensure they have accessible support to debrief on distressing disclosures from students;
• monitor progress by annually administering this Review’s survey and, every two years, offer students the additional opportunity to participate in focus groups and interviews regarding College culture.
1.5 CONCLUSION
This review highlights Trinity College’s commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and thriving community for its students. With overwhelmingly positive feedback on key aspects of the College’s culture – such as belonging, sense of safety, and engagement in activities and events – Trinity demonstrates its success in creating an environment that supports students academically, socially, and personally. However, the review also underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and refinement to address areas where improvements can further enhance the student experience.
By acting on the recommendations made in this report Trinity has the opportunity to build on its strong foundations of creating a positive culture. These efforts will not only address current challenges but also ensure the College remains a leader in shaping a positive, inclusive, and supportive residential environment for future generations. Ultimately, Trinity College’s readiness to listen to its students and act on their feedback highlights its deep commitment to providing a transformative and rewarding College experience for all.