Time to Act Cardiff launches new ‘Don’t be a shitty committee’ campaign

The student-led campaign, Time to Act Cardiff, has launched a new initiative called “Don’t be a shitty committee”, which aims to hold Cardiff University societies and sports clubs accountable for sexual misconduct.

Within just 24 hours, 44 societies and sports teams have signed a pledge not to be a “shitty committee”. The pledge includes a declaration, explanations on how the society stands for active bystandership and is against misogyny, and an invitation to join the pledge and hold members accountable.

Who are Time to Act?

Time to Act is a student-led campaign tackling sexual misconduct at universities and beyond.

When the Annual General Meeting (AGM) election took place in 2023 at the Students’ Union (SU), Rebecca Rumsey and Bethia Tucker, co-founders of Time to Act, called for the introduction of a policy to end rape culture and the perceived sense of complacency in tackling it.

They wanted to deconstruct the myth that sexual violence is something that’s “bound to happen” at university and aimed to ensure that students are protected from all forms of sexual misconduct.

Their campaign, Time to Act, alleges that there are areas where the current systems adopted by the SU are failing, and that a full reform is needed before students can receive the justice and protection they deserve.

What is considered sexual violence?

Sexual assault is experienced by 62 per cent of students and graduates, image via Canva

The World Health Organisation defines sexual violence as “any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting.”

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Revolt Sexual Assault reports that this is something experienced by 62 per cent of students and graduates at UK universities.

Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit’s #NotOk Degrees of Abuse found there were 1,403 sexual misconduct complaints made across 125 universities between 2017 and 2020. This was revealed via a two-year investigation examining how British universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, and Warwick, deal with complaints of sexual harassment, sexism, drunken behaviour, and coercive control.

Of the 1,403 complaints, only 487 were investigated, 83 per cent of which led to no further action being taken by the university.

The University of Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow and Warwick have not yet responded to a request for comment.

What exactly is the ‘Don’t be a shitty committee’ campaign?

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A post shared by Time To Act (@timetoactcardiffuni)

Time to Act has partnered with numerous societies at Cardiff University to crack down on “shitty” behaviour. These posts promote societies as a safe space for survivors and inform perpetrators that their behaviour will not be tolerated on campus, with all societies involved condemning violent behaviour in all forms.

JOMEC Netball was the first to take the pledge, and its welfare secretaries, Marcie Aley and Freya Griffin, have told The Cardiff Tab why this was so important to them.

Marcie said getting involved pushes back against the “dysfunctional system” she feels the university adopts when it comes to dealing with sexual violence, something Freya added resonates particularly for a predominantly female society.

Marcie also described taking the pledge as a “chain reaction”, with over 40 other societies following suit. Freya said this has given her “so much hope” since it shows that student activism has the potential to “make huge changes to safety on campus”.

When asked what working on this campaign has revealed about safety and trust on campus, Marcie claimed that “the university has failed us as students in so many ways”.

In their role as welfare secretaries, Marcie and Freya have been posting regularly and monitoring university campaigns to pass on critical information to the society.

Marcie told The Cardiff Tab: “It’s important to keep talking about these things and not let them get swept under the rug. As students, we have the voice and power to make a difference.”

Why is Time to Act’s work so important?

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A post shared by Cardiff University JOMEC Netball Society🏐 (@jomecnetball)

In 2023, BBC News reported that a student received no support from Cardiff University following an assault in her final year. Instead, she was asked for £9,000 to cover the cost of the academic year, despite having taken an interruption of study.

There can be severe repercussions for victims of sexual misconduct, with incidents taking a toll on a victim’s physical and mental health, as well as their academic performance.

A quarter of students who have been impacted by sexual misconduct skip lectures and just under a fifth drop out of their degree altogether, according to Revolt Sexual Assault.

Research from the BBC also found that between 2017 and 2021, the university had 691 sexual misconduct reports in total.

Such reports motivated Time to Act to call for the SU to stand in solidarity with their motion.

A Cardiff University spokesperson said: “The university has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence and we take all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously. We have robust procedures in place to investigate such reports.

In Time to Act’s first year, the campaign abolished the 28-day reporting period, introduced a ban on student and staff relationships, and provided active bystander training to all committees and sports teams.

Maria Pollard, the SU president, and Eve Chamberlain, the vice president of societies and volunteering, said: “It’s been brilliant to see so many committees get behind this campaign. Students are standing up for each other, and that’s exactly the kind of community we want at Cardiff.

Where are Time to Act currently?

Cardiff Students’ Union via Google Maps

After a three-year campaign, the Students’ Union issued an apology in October 2025, outlining its priorities and commitments to tackling sexual violence.

The union acknowledged it had historically fallen short of its duty to “protect and support survivors on our campus”, but that it was “ready” to prove its commitment to “putting this right”.

The SU is not alone. Time to Act continues to work alongside the university, holding them to account to ensure the safety of all students; they have an upcoming third AGM motion and will continue to represent students on university boards for tackling sexual violence.

If you have been affected by the content of this article, you can call the following helplines for support. 

The Survivors Trust: 08088 010 818

Cardiff Women’s Aid: 02920 460 566

Rape Crisis: 0808 500 2222

New Pathways: 02920 220 390

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Cardiff Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Featured image via Google Maps and Instagram @timetoactcardiffuni and @cardiffstudents