The welfare and wellbeing of all members of Exeter is an important part of our collegiate life, and many people play a role in providing welfare support. Central to welfare at Exeter is the Welfare Team, whose members can give specific advice or liaise with external services. Asking for help is one of the biggest hurdles in tackling whatever problem or concern you might have, so please don’t be surprised if you find it difficult to ask for support. Please get in touch with either the Welfare Lead, Andrew Allen, or Welfare Officer, Helen Thornton, in the first instance. They will be able to advise on the most appropriate form of support.
The College Welfare Team
Students who support students
Other areas of College support
Welfare in Oxford
– Counselling Service
– Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service
Disability
The College Welfare Team
We want you to flourish whilst at Exeter. The College draws on a large team of experts to help support you during your time here. There is a dedicated Welfare Team, consisting of the Welfare Lead, Welfare Officer and College Nurse, and the Junior Deans. The Welfare Team is supplemented by other College Officers and students with some welfare training, the Peer Supporters. The College has an excellent relationship with the College Doctors, the University Counselling Service, and the Disability Advisory Service.
Please get in touch with any member of the welfare team. They can help you with issues such as:
– anxiety
– settling in to Oxford
– relationships
– gender
– sexuality
– self development
– resilience
or, will be able to liaise and triage for relevant help.
Further information, including the Confidentiality Policy can be found in the Green Guide.
You can contact any member of the welfare team:
The Welfare Lead, Andrew Allen
The Welfare Officer, Helen Thornton
Students who support students
Peer Supporters
Peer Supporters are trained by the University Counselling Service as an impartial ear for anyone in college to talk to about absolutely anything.
Peer support offers an easily accessible and relatively informal opportunity to talk through issues which may be concerning you. Often it can help simply to get things off your chest or to know that someone is genuinely willing to listen and take time to understand what’s on your mind. Sometimes just talking things through is enough; sometimes it may lead you to seek more professional help.
It is important to emphasise that peer supporters are not counsellors and they may encourage you to seek more formal support through college welfare, your GP or the University Counselling Service.
Other areas of College support
Your tutor will be happy to talk with you about any academic related issues.
Academic Registrar, including Disability Lead
The Academic Office is able to provide information about
– exam regulations and requirements
– financial support, grants, and scholarships. More information is also available on our financial support page
– queries and questions about disabilities
More information about the academic support offered at Exeter College is available here.
Harassment Officers
For harassment issues, whether they take the form of infringement of freedom; being placed under undue pressure; or experiencing verbal or physical abuse, you can contact the Harassment Officers. These are:
The Porters’ Lodge
The Porters are a first port of call for all sorts of issues that can occur; they offer round the clock help and can point you in the right direction. Both the Porters’ Lodge on Turl St and the Front Desk at Cohen Quad are staffed 24 hours.
Safeguarding
Tutor for Graduates
Dr Chris Ballinger is the Senior Tutor. One part of his role is to be the tutor for graduates, and if you are a graduate and have an academic based issue you should get in touch with him.
Undergraduate Adviser Panel
The Undergraduate Adviser Panel is a panel of Teaching Fellows of the College, who are available for undergraduates from any subject to consult. These Advisers can listen to you and discuss academic or personal matters with you. You can see a list of panel members here.
Welfare in Oxford
University Counselling Service
Students can self-refer to the University Counselling Service, or liaise with a member of the Welfare Team. In addition to counselling sessions the Counselling Service runs workshops and has a selection of podcasts dealing with a range of issues.
Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service
There are resources available for anyone who feels they have experienced any form of sexual harassment or violence at the Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service.
For more information on sources of support for students affected by sexual violence, please see Help and Support for Students affected by Sexual Violence.
Disability
You can access forms for registering a disability or applying for disability related support via the University’s Disability Advisory Service. For further support, please contact the Academic Registrar and Disability Coordinator, Josie Cobb. If you’re not sure if you should be registered then please contact the Disability Advisory Service.
