Our office advises and informs all employees and students of the University of Cologne.

After you have contacted our office by phone or email, we will get back to you with a proposal for a personal meeting. This can take place in person, on the phone or digitally.

You can also visit us in person during open consultation hours without an appointment. Open consultation hours always take place on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 12:00.

During the initial consultation, we will listen to you, categorise what has happened or your concerns and go through your options for action together. Your wishes for the further process are also recorded. To ensure the quality of the counselling, rudimentary information is documented. However, only members of our office has access to the documentation - unless otherwise agreed with you.

After the initial discussion, you decide whether and how to proceed. Possible further steps could be that we accompany you to a meeting, contact the head of your department (together) or support you with a formal complaint. We will not take action without your request and your concerns will be treated confidentially at all times.

The guidelines for people seeking advice provide you with an initial overview of how you can respond to discrimination.

We works closely with other advice centres at the UoC. We may suggest that you seek support from another counselling centre that is better suited to your concerns.

Good preparation can help us to find out together more quickly how we can best support you. It makes sense to think about the facts of the case in advance and document them as precisely as possible.

A memory log can be a great help here. It is best to make a note:

• What exactly happened? (Describe the incident as specifically as possible)
• When did it happen? (Date, time, period)
• Who was involved? (Names or functions, if known)
• How did you feel in the situation?

You are welcome to use our template for self-documentation of incidents. This will help you to record the events in a structured way - this can also be helpful as evidence later on.

• Also consider what wishes or demands you have. The following reflection questions can be helpful:
• What would have to change in the current situation for me to feel better?
• What specific changes would I like to see?
• Where do I see my personal limits? What is no longer negotiable for me?
• What specific support do I want from the counselling centre?

You don't have to have definitive answers to all these questions yet. We will of course support you in sorting them out together during the counselling session.

If you wish, you can also bring someone you trust with you - sometimes it helps not to be alone.

The protection of your personal data and concerns is a top priority in our counselling services. We treat all information that you share with us - whether in conversation, by e-mail or by other means - as strictly confidential. This means that we will not pass on any information without your express consent. Confidentiality creates a safe space in which you can speak openly - and is a fundamental prerequisite for us to provide respectful and empowering counselling.

Any member of the University of Cologne who perceives threatening behaviour or is affected by violence or the use of violence can contact the Threat Management team for support. Possible threats can be: physical, verbal or written violence, threats of violence, bringing and displaying weapons, expression of violent fantasies, sexual assault, expression of suicidal intentions, stalking and bullying.

What should you generally consider or do in the event of a possible threat?

Try to remain calm.
Contact the threat management team immediately.
Avoid any escalation.
Do not try to resolve the threat yourself without contacting the threat management team.

Threat Management Team
+49 221 470-8899
bm-teamverw.uni-koeln.de

If there is an acute danger, immediately alert the police (110) and/or the internal emergency number +49 221 470-2200 (caretaker's office main building).

If you would like to make a formal complaint about abuse of power, discrimination, bullying, physical or psychological violence, you can contact us. We will advise and support you in this process.

The following diagram shows how the procedure for a complaint of discrimination looks like.

Further information can be found in the anti-discrimination guidelines of the University of Cologne.

Counseling and contact points:

• Liaison lecturers in the event of discrimination against students in the faculties
• Members of the AStA, the autonomous women's and lesbian department, the autonomous queer department AQUK, the autonomous department "Studieren ohne Schranken SOS" and the autonomous unit for anti-classist empowerment -fakE
• Critical Racism Counseling for Students (Jessie Mmari, BIPoC Autonomous Unit).
• Autonomous BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Unit of the University of Cologne
• Inquiry and Complaints Office at the Prorectorate for Teaching and Studies (ABS)
• Student Associations
• Representative for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses

Complaint offices:

• Suggestions and Complaints Office
• The Reporting Office of the University of Cologne in Accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) 

In the case of discrimination on the basis of gender or in the case of sexualized discrimination: 

• The decentralized equal opportunity officers of the faculties
• Central Gender Equality Officer

Here you can find further advice centers at the UoC in the area of diversity and equal opportunities...

Counseling and contact points:

• Staff Council Science of the University Hospital Cologne
• Employee and management consulting
• Anti-racism consultation for employees (Dr.' Rahab Njeri, Referat Gender & Diversity Management)
• Representative for severely disabled persons
• Staff Council for Technical and Administrative Staff
• Staff Council for the Scientific and Artistic Staff

Complaint offices:

• Office for Discrimination Complaints
• The Reporting Office of the University of Cologne in Accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG)

In the case of discrimination on the basis of gender or in the case of sexualized discrimination: 

• The decentralized equal opportunity officers of the faculties
• Central Gender Equality Officer

Here you can find further advice centers at the UoC in the area of diversity and equal opportunities...

If you would prefer to (initially) seek counselling outside the university, you can do so here, for example:

• Beratungsstellen für Antidiskriminierungsarbeit in in NRW
• CLAIM - Allianz gegen Islam- und Muslimfeindlichkeit
• Beratung- und Meldestelle Antisemitismus NS-Dok
• Weisser Ring e.V. (Opferschutzberatung)
• Opferberatung Rheinland
• Lawclinic Köln - Kostenfreie Rechtsberatung für geflüchtete Menschen
• Rubicon – Diskriminierungsberatung für queere Personen
• Agisra – Informations- und Beratungsstelle für Migrantinnen*, geflüchtete Frauen* und schwarze Frauen*
• Hilfeportal Sexueller Missbrauch
• Netzwerk gegen Machtmissbrauch in der Wissenschaft
• Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft autonomer Frauenberatungsstellen in NRW mit Links zu allen Mitgliedseinrichtungen
• Frauenberatungsstelle FrauenLeben e.V. Köln
• Gewaltschutz für Menschen mit Behinderungen
• Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung