Student rights

University of Warsaw offers help to those who experienced discrimination, sexual violation, mobbing or any unequal treatment and violation of student rights.

It is the duty of every employee of the University of Warsaw to respect the principles of equality in such a way that every student and employee of our University felt safe within the walls of our Faculty, convinced that his / her rights are properly respected.

First steps

If you are a student and you experience unfair or degrading treatment, or you notice that someone around you is being treated badly, you can first contact Student Council at our Faculty or the Vice-Dean for Student Affairs. If you are a  1st-year student, you can contact the 1st-year students tutor. These people can listen to your problems and help you to find the proper institution where you can receive professional support.

If you are in a crisis situation and you need immediate psychological support, call the Warsaw Crisis Intervention Center at 514 202 619 or in person at ul. August 6, 1/5 (round the clock) or to the Emergency Support 116 123 (from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.).

Emergency number: 112
Police number: 997
Ambulance: 999

The university also offers support to people who are in crisis. More information can be found here and in the institutions and persons described below.

Student Council at the FA

You can contact our Student Council for advice on problems and crisis situations that may arise at the Faculty, University or outside the university. Contact

1st-year tutor

The tutor is a person who helps new students to get acquainted with the University and Faculty, who can answer all questions concerning your first steps in archaeology. You can also contact this person if you feel that it is the best solution. Tutor will tell you what you can do and where to go with your problem. Dr. Julia Chyla is the 1st-year tutor of our students.

Contact: j.chyla@uw.edu.pl

Vice-Dean for Student Affairs

Although the main task of the vice-dean for student affairs is the organization of education at the Faculty, it is also a person to whom evry student may address a question or complaint regarding the violation of the rules of equality and tolerance and the student rights. Each case can be reported by e-mail or by contacting the vice-dean.

Contact: wa.student@uw.edu.pl, how to contact directly is described here

Ombudsman

The Academic Ombudsman is a person to whom students, academic and administrative employees can ask for help with matters related to the university and its community. The Ombudsman can be addressed with any mobbing and discrimination issue, which will be dealt with confidentiality (in regard to both information provided to the Ombudsman and identity of the person making the report), independence, neutrality and impartiality. The task of the Ombudsman is to support employees and students in the conflict resolution and to ensure that all members of the academic community are treated fairly and righteously.

The Academic Ombudsman accepts reports in person, as well as by e-mail or telephone, and the Ombudsman’s intervention in a particular case follows after the Ombudsman’s personal meeting and the written consent of the notifier.

Dr. Anna Cybulko has been the Academic Ombudsman since 2011.

Who can report matters to the Ombudsman?

Cases to the ombudsman can be reported both by individuals – employees, doctoral students and students, as well as organizational units of the University of Warsaw, and student and doctoral self-government bodies.

Ombudsman offers:

* Direct support for a person experiencing discrimination.

* Information on available psychological help, redirection to the Psychological Assistance Center if necessary.

* Contact with the faculty / relevant academic unit and assistance in obtaining organizational support, e.g. in terms of changing class groups, changing exam dates, obtaining sick leave or occasional leave, etc.

* Educational activities towards the perpetrator, e.g. direct explanatory and educational conversation, conversation with the perpetrator’s superiors, recommendation to participate in anti-discrimination training / workshops.

* Disciplining actions against the perpetrator – written signal to the supervisor, recommendation to initiate a formal complaint procedure.

More information in English you can find here.

The reporting procedure is described here.

Contact: ul. Dobra 56/66, 00 – 312 Warsaw (BUW, first floor on the mezzanine, room 1.60C), e-mail: ombudsman@uw.edu.pl. Duty hours

Equal opportunity chief specialist at UW

A person who performs this function is engaged in anti-discrimination policy, equal treatment and diversity at the University of Warsaw. The main task of the Equal Opportunity Chief Specialist is to take steps to fully respect and implement the principle of equal treatment and to prevent discrimination on grounds of any feature. His/her tasks include promotion and dissemination of equal treatment issues, anti-discrimination standards and implementation of equality solutions.

A person holding the position cooperates with the Rector’s Committee for Preventing Discrimination. Anyone who has experienced discrimination or unequal treatment may report the incident directly to the members of the Committee or to the Chief Equality Specialist who will then forward the case for consideration.

The position of the main equality specialist at the University of Warsaw is performed by Anna Grędzińska, however, due to the maternity leave of Mrs. Grędzińska, Dr. Julia Kubisa has been performing this function since April 2018.

Contact: rownouprawnienie@uw.edu.pl

Rector’s Committee for Preventing Discrimination

The purpose of the Rector’s Committee for Preventing Discrimination at the University of Warsaw is to prevent discrimination on grounds of any legally protected feature and to respect the principle of equal treatment on the premises of the university. It consists of UW academic staff distinguished by knowledge and experience in the field of preventing discrimination.

The committee monitors observance of the principle of equal treatment at the University of Warsaw, develops possible solutions to problems arising from the violation of prohibition of discrimination and offers help to persons who suffered unequal treatment on grounds of any feature, initiates investigations and applies for disciplinary action against persons committing discrimination.

Any reported problem to the Committee is anonymous.

Contact: antydysktywacja@uw.edu.pl or rownouprawnienie@uw.edu.pl

Student Spokesman and Sexual Violence Consultant

The Student Spokesman and the Sexual Violence Consultant are elected from among students.

The competences of the Student Spokesman include: all activities related to the student rights, activities to increase students’ awareness of their rights, help in solving problems and represent the student interest. The Spokesman provides information on the student’s rights, indicates which procedure is most beneficial from the point of view of the student’s interests and intervenes before the competent body of the University.

Currently, this function is performed by Dominika Kuna a student of MISH (College of Interdisciplinary Individual Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences), who works in the Team, which also includes a Sexual Violence Consultant.

A sexual violence consultant is also a person selected from among students. Currently, this function is performed by Antonina Lewandowska, a student of the Faculty of Sociology.

Contact: rps@samorzad.uw.edu.pl

Here you can download Guide to prevention of sexual harassment at University of Warsaw

More information: https://welcome.uw.edu.pl/guide-to-prevention-of-sexual-harassment-at-university-of-warsaw/

Anti-mobbing Commetee and Coordinator

Relationships between all members of the community of UW, including employees and supervisors, shall be based on the principle of respect and tolerance, as well as on the principle of respect for personal dignity.

Mobbing, often called workplace bullying, is prohibited by the European law, including Polish law. This may also refer to the situations in the academic environment among students and between the students and the employees of the University.

 Magdalena Miksa, who works in the Ombudsman Office at the university,  is the UW anti-mobbing coordinator. She is responsible for:

  • accepting and verifying reports;
  • collecting data on mobbing signals;
  • collecting information on anti-mobbing good practices;
  • implementing anti-mobbing initiatives, including aimed at increasing a level of awareness of mobbing in the workplace.

The Coordinator works with Anti-Mobbing Committee that investigates mobbing charges and recommends solutions to deans and rector.

Any employee who decides that he or she has been subjected to mobbing should report the matter to the coordinator. If, after the initial examination of the notification, the coordinator decides that the described situation may be considered mobbing, she will refer the matter to the Commission for Counteracting Mobbing. The Commission will then start an investigation into this matter.

If the situation reported by the employee cannot be considered mobbing, the coordinator will refer the case to the Academic Ombudsman or the Dispute and Conflict Resolution Center at the Faculty of Law and Administration in order to settle the dispute amicably. She may also submit the application to the appropriate university unit or terminate the case.

Contact: antymobbing@uw.edu.pl

Academic Legal Counselling

The Academic Legal Counselling is an institution providing free legal aid to students, including the persons who have experienced unequal treatment, become victims of harassment, mobbing, or their rights have been violated in any other way. A condition for applying to the Counselling is the possession of a valid student ID or another document confirming the status of the student, but a prior appointment to a specific date is not needed. Individuals who provide counselling in the unit are generally students of the last years, graduates and PhD students of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw, who work with support of advisers experienced in a particular field.

Contact: biuro@akademickaporadniaprawna.pl

University of Warsaw Law Clinic – Student Legal Aid Centre

Law Clinic is an institution operating at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw that provides free legal advice on a range of areas of law (e.g. labour law, civil law, criminal law, medical law, etc.), including assistance to victims of violence and discrimination.

Anyone who has experienced unequal and discriminatory treatment has the right to refer to the Clinic, where the help is provided by students under the guidance of a lecturer – the addressed issues are handled by a special section of the Clinic on counteracting violence.

Meetings with the Clinic staff can be arranged by anyone (also from outside the University) who, because of difficult financial situation, cannot afford professional legal assistance. Appointments with the employees during the on-call duty, during which the initial hearing of the case takes place and decision on further steps is taken, can be made by telephone or email.

Contact: klinika@wpia.uw.edu.pl

UW Office for Persons with Disabilities (BON)

Office for Persons with Disabilities is an institution whose aim is to help and support people with disabilities, both students in the pursuit of their studies and employees of the university. Office for Persons with Disabilities can be addressed by anyone who, due to his/her disability, experiences inferior treatment or faces barriers in the course of studying or undertaking other important activities necessary for the proper functioning at the University.

The Office helps on many levels and includes, i.a. organisation of free psychological consultations, training in the use of technological equipment, assistance in cases where people with disabilities experience inferior treatment for reasons independent of them.

Office for Persons with Disabilities will act for those who register by filling in a questionnaire available on the website www.bon.uw.edu.pl, then sign up to the consultant by phone or e-mail, and will present their health situation.

Contact: bon@uw.edu.pl

Medical care under the NFZ insurance

University of Warsaw students and employees can use the healthcare provided by the CenterMed academic clinic free of charge. Details on signing up for medical consultations and using services are included in these document STUDENCI – ZASADY LECZENIA NFZ. For help please contact the Head of Studies in English.

Psychological Aid Center

Psychological Aid Center of the University of Warsaw is a new university center that offers free psychological assistance to students and UW employees. It is a joint initiative of the Faculty of Psychology and the Office for Persons with Disabilities, supported by the Vice-rector for student affairs Jolanta Choińska-Mika. The creation of the Psychological Aid Center results from the ever-increasing concern of the University’s authorities for the mental health of the UW community. The head of the center is Dr. Szymon Chrząstowski – a psychotherapist with extensive experience and a multilateral view of mental health issues.

Types of assistance:

• Standard support meetings
• A short talking conversation without prior writing
• Meetings to give an opinion on the application
• Psychoeducational meetings

Contact: email: cpp@psych.uw.edu.pl, phone + 48 694 711 731 

The current schedule of stationary and telephone duty hours is available at www.cpp.uw.edu.pl.

Centre for Disputes and Conflict Resolution at the Faculty of Law and Administration UW

An organisation whose statutory purpose is to promote amicable conflict resolution, to which anyone who has experienced discrimination, violence or unequal treatment may resort.

One of the aims pursued and disseminated by the Centre is to strengthen the sense of respect for human rights, tolerance and acceptance and to promote modern ways of resolving conflicts.

If you contact the Centre for Disputes and Conflicts Resolution (by phone or e-mail), a mediator and place and time of the proceedings will be determined after a preliminary examination of the case and a consent to mediation by the other party. At the request of the person reporting the problem, in justified cases, mediation may also be conducted at the distance, without the need for direct confrontation between the parties.

Contact: mediacje@uw.edu.pl

We encourage you to visit the website http://en.rownowazni.uw.edu.pl/

Here you can download anti-discrimination guidebook.