Student & staff disciplinary cases
Student and staff disciplinary cases - widget
Research Misconduct cases and non-disclosure agreements 2017/18 - 2021/22
The request
1) Has your university used non-disclosure agreement settlements in relation to research misconduct complaints over the last five academic years? (2017-18 to 2021-2022).
2) Has any legal action been taken against your university over the last five academic years due to a research misconduct case?
3) How much has your university spent in legal fees in connection with research misconduct complaints over the last five academic years. Please breakdown by year.
Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-051, 17 February 2023
The College has not used any NDAs in relation to research misconduct complaints over the last five academic years.
No legal action been taken against the College as a result of a research misconduct case in the last five years.
College expenditure on legal professional fees in relation to research misconduct complaints over the last five years is as follows:
2017-18 - £0
2018-19 - £0
2019-20 - £0
2020-21 - £46,068.70
2021-22 - £11,710.80
Further information about research misconduct can be found on the Research Integrity pages of the College's website, including annual reports on research integrity containing information on formal investigations that have been undertaken in the previous year.
Sexual misconduct, policy, reporting and disciplinary cases 2015/16 to 2021/22
The Request
Do you have a distinct policy on sexual misconduct, or does it come under the scope of a wider policy e.g. on bullying and harassment?
- Do you have an online reporting system for sexual misconduct?
- The number of reports of sexual misconduct alleged to have taken place on campus over the past five years (2017-22 - broken down by year)
- Gender of the complainants and the accused (broken down by year)
- The time it took to close/complete each investigation (broken down by year)
- How many allegations of sexual misconduct were proven to be correct (broken down by year)
- How many reports were referred to the police (broken down by year)
- How many reports of sexual misconduct resulted in the expulsion of the perpetrator (broken down by year)
Imperial College Response (IMPFOI-22-561, 18 January 2023)
The College takes any such allegation extremely seriously. We have a dedicated Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence Policy policy that applies to all members of the College community. In addition we have a range of support for students who have experienced sexual harassment, misconduct or violence – whether it happened recently or in the past. This includes a team of Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs) who are trained to handle disclosures of sexual harassment, misconduct, or violence from students, and who can guide students through their options in a sensitive and non-judgmental way – including helping them make a formal complaint if they choose to. The Report and Support tool can be used by staff and students to facilitate disclosures and to link with our support services. Summary data on reports made via the Report and Support tool is available on the College website.
If a student chooses to make a formal complaint of sexual harassment, misconduct, or violence against another student, this would be investigated under theOrdinance E2 - Student Discipline. (Under the Disciplinary Procedures heading). Such allegations are defined as major misconduct and will be heard by a College Disciplinary Panel. All formal complaints of sexual harassment, misconduct or violence are investigated. If a formal complaint is made against a member of staff, this would be investigated in line with the Disciplinary Policy and Procedure [pdf]. Due to the low numbers and consequent risk of disclosure of personal information, we cannot provide figures broken down by year nor details of outcome. In the period including the academic years 2015/16 to 2021/22, 23 complaints against students were considered by the College disciplinary procedures and 8 complaints about members of staff.
The College does not keep records on the length of time taken to close/complete each investigation.
The College would not necessarily be aware of reports made to the police and does not hold a central record of such reports in cases where we have been informed.
Staff and student disciplinary cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct, 2021/22 and 2022/23 (to date)
The request
For the academic years 2021/22 and 2022/23 (to date), the number of staff and student disciplinary cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct by a student, by the gender of the person complained about and the complainant, with the outcomes.
Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-224, 31 May 2023
Please see the table below for the figures requested, in all cases the complainant was a female and the respondent a male.
| 2022/23 (to date) | No. of cases | Case ongoing | No case to answer | Case to answer | Case to answer outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff disciplinary cases | 1 | 1 | Dismissal | ||
| Student disciplinary cases | 4 | 4 | |||
| 2021/22 | |||||
| Staff disciplinary cases | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Final written warning Resignation |
| Student disciplinary cases | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Respondent had completed studies - no penalty could be applied
|
Student Fitness to Study and Fitness to Practice Medicine cases 2018/19 to 2022/23
The request
Please provide the total number of Fitness to Study and Fitness to Practice Medicine cases.
Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-344, 4 July 2023
The table below shows the number of cases considered at the formal stage of the College’s Fitness to Practise Medicine Procedures and Fitness to Study Procedure (this was introduced in October 2020).
| 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2022/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students referred to Fitness to Practise Medicine Panels | 0 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Students referred to Fitness to Study Panels | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |