It’s easy to find yourself in a situation you didn’t expect

"When it comes to keeping yourself on the right side of the law, a few simple, common sense rules will keep you safe and won’t impact on your studies or long-term career plans", says Dee Corbett, Queen’s University's Neighbourhood Engagement Manager 

As St Patrick’s Day approaches, we wanted to remind all students of the importance of being a good neighbour.

Whether you live in Queen’s Accommodation or elsewhere within the city, as a student at Queen's and a member of the local community, you have an important role to play in helping us to maintain positive relationships with our neighbours, keeping yourself and others safe, and being respectful of the diverse community in which you reside. For more information, watch our Community Living video.

As a Queen’s student, you have a responsibility to ensure that your behaviour does not have an adverse impact on your fellow students, your neighbours or the University – in line with the University’s Student Charter. It is important to remember that engaging in misconduct, whether on or off campus, may prevent you from obtaining your degree and could jeopardise your career. Find out more on the Public Engagement website.

What happens if you’re reported to the University?

Ever wondered what happens if you get reported to the University for antisocial behaviour? We went behind the scenes to get some tips and find out more, so hopefully you won’t have to.

Uni life is about more than just studying, but it's easy to get caught up in a bad situation, whether you’ve chosen to show up at the wrong party or just haven’t thought that your neighbours may not enjoy your music choices.

Lots of people who aren’t students flock to Belfast to celebrate St Patrick’s Day and if they come to a residential area they’re unlikely to care about good relations with your neighbours as much as you do.

So, here’s some tips on how to avoid getting caught up in any trouble others might bring to your door and what the implications might be if you switch off your common sense radar.

It’s easy to find yourself reported without realising you were doing anything wrong.

Something as simple as playing loud music can land you in trouble. You mightn’t even realise it was too loud or disturbing others, but once someone in your community has reported you to the Council or PSNI for noise disturbance, they’ll need to investigate. And that’s when it can turn serious.

Police will attend a property…  

The PSNI will and do investigate such reports.

PSNI also notify Universities and Colleges

All Queen’s students are bound by conduct regulations, at all times. We have a whole team focused on Neighbourhood Engagement which will investigate reports brought by the PSNI or members of the public. Where necessary, they can apply a number of penalties, including a warning, a fine and even expulsion.

The kind of issues they deal with include:

• minor anti-social disturbance, including off-campus noise disturbance: the standard penalty is a written warning and a fine of £150 

• behaviour which brings the name of the University into disrepute: the standard penalty is Suspension 

Disciplinary Procedures.

The best way to avoid disciplinary action is to avoid any disturbance initially.  Once a complaint has been made and the investigation is complete, the student will be notified about penalties within eight working days.   

How it can affect students for the long-term

A police record may appear in future Access NI checks, for certain jobs, which employers can see… 

Access NI supplies criminal history information, upon request, to organisations and individuals, to help them make safer recruitment decisions.

This can also impact your ‘Fitness to Practice’ if your profession is subject to academic, behavioural and health requirements, which must be met to ensure suitability to practice. These include, medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery, psychology, teaching, pharmacy, professional legal training, health and leisure.

How students feel as a result.

Students who found themselves in the PSNI or university disciplinary process often say, “I wish I just hadn’t been at the party.”

So save yourself the hassle and celebrate safely.

Find out more about You and the Community

 “I really didn't think what I did would affect anyone else. It wasn't term time, so I thought most students would be at home and wasn’t thinking about the residents who live there full time. I’m really sorry about that and how it reflected on the university, and just hope that my experience might prevent other students from having to deal with similar repercussions.” Queen’s student