Universities need to be “open and honest” about what support they are able to provide victims of sexual assault to ensure they are not giving “false” promises to students, a woman at the heart of a major university court case has claimed.
Speaking on a webinar about using legal activism to address gender-based harm in higher education, Sydney Feder, who won a court case in 2023 against her university, discussed the “extremely difficult” process of pursuing legal action against her institution.
A court ruled in 2023 that the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) failed to properly investigate or respond to allegations of sexual and physical assault reported by Feder and fellow student Alyse McCamish by the same male student, and that universities owe a duty of care to students to carry out reasonable investigations in cases of sexual assault.
Feder outlined that the case took more than five years to conclude, and said the process was “very difficult” and that she found herself “struggling and grappling with difficulties seemingly in all areas of life”.
She outlined that she had originally been due to be a witness for her co-claimant, before being advised by a lawyer that her experience was “a case in itself” and that multiple cases were more likely to result in success.
