Student Welfare
DCU is committed to ensuring that all students are supported and guided during their time at university and is continuously looking to improve and develop policies to support students and their welfare. Below are current policies that are available to students to support their welfare when needed. If you have any questions in relation to any policy, contact the Student Policy Officer, Deirdre Moloney.
DCU values all members of the community, irrespective of gender identity, and respects and recognises diverse gender identities and gender expressions. Gender identity and expression is a positive, core part, of being human and experiencing wellbeing and fulfilment. This concept of fundamental equality for our University community is central to our University’s ethos. In tackling the challenges of an era of unprecedented change, we see unprecedented opportunities: not only to transform the lives of those who will pass through our doors but also, through them and through our innovation, to transform society as a whole.
In this context, this policy is written to ensure that students are provided with a clear and transparent structure within which they can express their desired gender identity.
Gender Identity and Expression Policy and Procedures
Key University Contact Details
Designated staff members to assist students with items related to this policy:
Contact Persons for Students and Coordination of Transition Plan:
Dr. Claire Bohan – Dean of Students (claire.bohan@dcu.ie)
Ms. Annabella Stover – Deputy Director of Student Support & Development (Annabella.stover@dcu.ie)
Mr. Ruan Kennedy – Senior Counsellor (ruan.kennedy@dcu.ie)
Contact Person for Student Record / Official Documentation Changes:
Mary McKiernan, Registry, Students Records Officer (mary.mckiernan@dcu.ie)
The University will support students who become pregnant during the course of their studies and, within the limitations of academic regulations and structures, endeavour to facilitate the least possible disruption to the academic progression of the student while offering personal support and care for her health and well-being. This document provides guidance for students and staff about the University’s approach to supporting a student who is pregnant at any point during the course of her studies.
DCU is committed to promoting healthier lifestyles in the DCU student community through the prevention and response to alcohol misuse and drug use and misuse. This includes minimising the harm caused by the use or misuse of substances, promoting rehabilitation and recovery, offering trauma-informed support and guidance to students who may require it, and providing education and information campaigns.
The purpose of this policy is:
- Promote and protect the health, safety and well-being of the student community.
- Minimise the harms caused by the use and misuse of substances and promote harm reduction, rehabilitation, and recovery.
- Outline the trauma-informed supports available to students who are in crisis and those who seek assistance as a result of substance use/misuse.
- Enhance a culture that is free from the pressure to consume alcohol and other harmful substances while simultaneously encouraging help-seeking behaviour.
- Promote the importance of personal responsibility and social obligation, including to the university and the local community.
- Educate the student community on health risks and other risks associated with consumption and additionally, about the link between trauma and substance misuse.
- Inform the student community of the university’s statutory obligations and duty of care under various legal instruments.
This policy has been informed by the national HE framework, Framework for Response to the Use of Illicit Substances within Higher Education, 2019, as well as the Action Plan on Drug Use in Higher Education Institutions, 2019. The policy has also been informed by the HSE Strategy, Reducing Harm, and Supporting Recovery - A health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland, 2017–2025.