Rusu’s Welfare Officer – Working to Keep All Students at Reading University Safe

Grace Loweth is the RUSU Welfare Officer. She has an active interest in listening to student opinions and implementing student services and events that actively improve the safety and welfare of students.

This year, one of Grace’s many aims is to improve the information and services available for student mental health, while increasing access to mental health services. She regularly listens to student opinions and directly works alongside students to improve student welfare.

Guardians of Wellbeing: The Role of a Welfare Officer

In addition to this, Grace ensures safety around campus and that mental health services are always at a high level. She also liaises with the Welfare Team, Counselling team, UPP, and the advice service at RUSU and is part of various University committees.

Grace is launching a Buddy scheme in January to help ensure all students have someone they can reach out to when they are in need. She also introduced the role of Student Life Representative this year, who was very successful in ensuring all new students settled into halls and were safe on campus. The Student Life Representatives were stationed at the Student Union and around campus during the first few weeks of the university term to make sure all students felt welcome and had people they could turn to whenever they were in need.

Listening First: Student Voices Driving Change

Grace is also raising awareness for the My Way App, which is a map-style app that helps women students feel safer walking alone, particularly at night.

It has been co-designed with women students from the University of Reading with the sole aim of making all students feel safer. The app can see which streets are well-lit, how many people are in the streets around you, and if there have been any reports of incidents in the surrounding area.