Below is various information about welfare in robinson and cambridge in general. for a list of Contact numbers please visit this link or the submenu item on the left.

Safety

Cambridge is a great place to live and work but it's not immune from crime.

Each year 1/3 of University students become a victim of crime.

As a result, it's well worth taking some time to think about personal safety. 
This isn't just a consideration for female students but for everyone, regardless of your gender, age, sexuality or college location. 

Check out http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/welfare/safety/ for details and advice about staying safe in Cambridge. 

Sexual health

Sometimes it seems as if the whole world is having sex.  The truth is, some people are and some aren't - and it doesn't make anyone better or “cooler” if they do.  It's not important whether you're a virgin and plan to stay that way or whether you have a different partner every night - what's important is being able to get the right information if you need it.

"Sexual health means enjoying the sexual activity you want without causing yourself or anyone else suffering, physical or mental harm; it is not just about using contraception or avoiding infections" - Family Planning Association, 2004

Some things that help towards good sexual health:

• Feeling good about yourself

• Having the sex you want when you want it - providing it's consensual, mutual and equal

• Not being forced or manipulated into sex you don't want

• Not forcing or manipulating others into sex they don't want

• Feeling comfortable about your sexual orientation, whether heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual

• Knowing how to protect yourself from sexual infections

• Knowing that you have the right to not be sexual at any point in your life

• Knowing that you have the right to say 'yes' to the sex you want, 'no' to the sex you don't want and the right to change your mind

Mental Health

Everybody has mental health, although lots of people never think about it.  Sometimes we feel lonely, sad or 'blue' and at other times happy, chilled out, or excited.  These are all common feelings, which are likely to change from day to day.  However, sometimes these feelings can be more severe.

1 in 4 students will experience a mental health problem whilst at University, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, obsessions and phobias as well as alcohol and drug addiction.  The chances are someone you know is going through some kind of mental distress.  It could be your tutor, your partner, your best mate, or yourself.

None of us are completely consistent in our behavior or emotions.  Everybody experiences days when things are going well and other times when life appears to be going less well.  These short-term changes in mood or perspective are entirely natural, and are clearly preferable to the alternative - a fixed emotional plateau. What is important when considering our emotional and mental health is that this variation lies within reasonable limits.

As young adults, time spent at University can be one of great personal change.  During our year(s) here we all change, to a greater or lesser extent, in the ways in which we express ourselves and respond socially to people, as well as our habits and routine.  In the context of these wider changes, it can be difficult to distinguish between the body's natural short-term responses, and potentially more serious and lasting implications.

Similarly, the expression "I'm depressed" is not generally used in the clinical sense, rather as a synonym for feeling down or fed up.  In making the distinction, degree and duration are the deciding factor.  Were that same individual to experience longer term, more severe feelings, then it might be prudent to seek support from a health care professional.

Drugs

The decision of whether or not to use drugs, legal or illegal, is yours.  However, it is important that you don’t feel pressurised to do them, as the vast majority of students don’t.  Whether you currently take drugs, have used them in the past, or might experiment in the future, it's best to be informed (and that includes drinking alcohol.)

As well as the various medical dangers that are associated with drugs, there are legal risks of varying severity. Whether you think that the present drug laws are right or wrong does not alter the fact that they exist and may – as they are meant to – act as a powerful deterrent.  Students looking for careers involving professional examinations (e.g. Medicine or Law) might find themselves automatically disqualified if they receive a drug-related conviction.  Having a drugs conviction on your record will almost always disadvantage you whatever job you go for.  Furthermore, testing already exists in many professions, including banking, not just the obvious areas such as high-level sport or the armed forces.

Popular myth has it that if a college authority discovers you using drugs, they will protect you from the police, or not report you to avoid bad media publicity.  Although you may be lucky, colleges and the people within them are all different, this is certainly not an attitude that you should rely upon.  It is a fact that no college is pleased to discover its members taking drugs, and that they react with varying (and sometimes unpredictable) severity.  Some people have been sent down (i.e. thrown out) for smoking cannabis; others have been kicked out of college accommodation for using ecstasy.  Put simply, if you are caught with drugs then the college authorities will be unable to turn a blind eye so, if you do use drugs, be sensible.

Above all, if you are taking drugs, including alcohol, be aware and be safe.

Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder all have common features.  In fact, many sufferers actually experience a range of symptoms overlapping the established diagnoses of anorexia, bulimia etc.  The technical term for this is EDNOS - eating disorder not otherwise specified.  This is the most common of eating difficulties.

Denial is very common among people with eating disorders.  It is wrong to think you do not have an eating disorder if you have not been medically diagnosed, or do not seem to fit the criteria for any one disorder.  Assigning such 'labels' may be helpful in addressing the problems, but for many it can make them feel insufficiently ill to deserve support.  Everyone, no matter how severe their eating difficulties, deserves to be and can be helped.

Those who suffer from eating disorders may have low self-esteem, feel depressed, have self-deprecating thoughts, and feel that they lack control over their lives and eating behaviour.  Issues with food are often merely symptoms of much more complex internal problems.

In school-age girls and young adult females, about 1\% suffer from anorexia nervosa, 3\% suffer from bulimia nervosa, and 8\% of overweight women suffer from bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder.  When the sub-clinical population of people who meet all but one of the criteria for the diagnosis of an eating disorder is included, those rates double.

The onset of eating disorders usually occurs during puberty to early adulthood (ages 14-25), and about 90\% of all people with eating disorders are female.

Eating disorders are not a weakness.  They are an illness.  They are not about vanity. They can be overcome.

Cycle Safety

Cycling is often the fastest way of getting round the city, but if you’re not used to cycling in traffic there are some important things you need to know.

You should always bear in mind that nearly all areas of the Highway Code which apply to motor vehicles apply equally to cyclists.  In particular:

• It is illegal to cycle in the dark without lights, and in front, rear and pedal reflectors.

• Cycling when drunk is illegal.

• Cycling on the pavement is against the law.

• Going against one way streets or through red lights is against the law.

The police are increasingly fining cyclists for cycling in the wrong direction on one-way streets, and for cycling without lights in the dark, so be aware.

The university requires all students to register their bicycles: make sure you do this. If your cycle is recovered the codes can be used to return it to you.  Cycle security coding also takes place from time to time: email the CUSU Welfare and Graduates Officer for more information.

Locking your bike properly is important.  As a general guide, so called D-locks, Dutch Dial locks and cable locks are ones to go for, but you should aim to spend £20-£25 on them, to make sure you get one which will offer real protection against lock-smashing thieves.

Nobody ever expects to fall off their bicycle but every year thousands of cyclists are involved in cyclists (with around 70% of injuries being to the head).  Look out for a sticker on the inside of the helmet which confirms it’s passed the quality standards. Foam-based helmets do not re-expand after impact so if you have an accident, buy a new helmet.  Helmets might not be the most fashionable thing to wear but they could save your life one day.