Student Welfare Support
As part of our wider work supporting Sikh students, Sikhs in Academia (SiA) provides advisory welfare support to Sikh students navigating serious difficulties during their time at university.
This service is strictly confidential. Anything you share with us in connection with a request for support is treated in confidence and is not disclosed without your consent, except where we are required to by law or believe there is a serious risk of harm.
Who this is for
This service is currently available to students at UK universities only. We are seeking volunteers to help us launch this support in the USA and the wider Americas. If you are interested in helping build this, please get in touch.
This service is available to students whose university Sikh Society is formally affiliated with SiA. If your Sikh Society is not yet affiliated, we will still open your case straight away. Support does not wait. However, your Sikh Society must complete affiliation with SiA within 48 hours of your request being submitted. It is your responsibility to make sure your Society actions this; we can share the affiliation link with you to pass on. If affiliation is not completed within this window, we reserve the right to pause further support until it is.
[Affiliate your Sikh Society]
What we can help with
Our advisory support is for serious matters, where the stakes for your future at university are high. This includes, for example:
- Disciplinary investigations, hearings, and appeals (including risk of suspension or expulsion)
- Harassment, discrimination, or bullying complaints, whether you are raising one or responding to one
- Serious safeguarding or welfare concerns
- Matters involving the police, or where a criminal allegation intersects with a university process
We also offer chaplaincy support for emotional wellbeing, spiritual support, or personal difficulty. This is available whether or not your matter is a formal university case.
What this service does not cover
To keep this service focused on students who need it most, this Welfare Support service is not able to take on:
- Academic grade appeals or marking disputes
- Day to day academic or personal issues (for example, routine disagreements with a professor or coursemate)
- Accommodation problems
- Job hunting or careers support
- General disputes with colleagues, coursemates, or staff that do not involve a formal or serious process
This does not mean SiA cannot help at all. For matters outside this list, please email our general address at [general email address] and a member of the team will get back to you about how we may be able to support you.
If you’re not sure whether your situation qualifies for this service, submit a request anyway and describe it. We’ll let you know honestly if it’s outside what we can support here, and point you toward the right place, including our general email if that’s a better fit.
What the support looks like
SiA support is advisory only. We are not your legal representative and we do not attend hearings or meetings on your behalf. What we do:
- Review the evidence and documentation of your case
- Give you a clear, honest assessment of your position
- Help you understand and prepare for university procedures
- Advise on structure and content if you are drafting a written submission (you write and submit it yourself)
- Signpost you to your Students’ Union, independent legal advice, or specialist support where needed
You will be asked to sign a short Terms of Engagement before support begins, which sets out exactly what we can and cannot do, and how your evidence is handled.