The University of British Columbia (UBC) announced measures to address a chant promoting rape and sexual violence during the school’s Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS) frosh events.
The university said in a press release Sept. 18 it will be holding student leaders accountable for permitting the chants, and the CUS will pay a voluntary sum of $250,000 over three years for sexual abuse counselling and education for students.
The university’s official report said UBC’s fact-finding panel determined “the YOUNG chant,” was not led by the frosh leaders, but was rather a traditional chant, passed down through years of orientation events.
The panel did recognize that “no CUS leader intervened to stop anyone from using offensive chants, and the vast majority of first-year students attending the CUS FROSH events would have been exposed to the rape chant.”
The report stated that “the YOUNG chant was used by the majority of FROSH leaders,” and that “the YOUNG chant is a well-established tradition within the leader group.”
The panel also reported that certain frosh activities were “inappropriately sexualized.”
UBC vice-president (students) Louise Cowin, was appointed to “design broader measures to address deeper systematic and organizational issues,” according to the report.
With four leaders already resigned, frosh week leaders and all members of the undergraduate society would take part in community service in response to the incident, according to the press release.
The society apologised for the chants in a public statement on the CUS website.
“While the cheering and other damaging behaviors were not actively taught within the CUS, there was a gross lack of critical thinking and sensitivity on the part of those in leadership positions in letting these behaviors continue unchecked over so many years,” it stated. “In our silence, we allowed the perpetuation of a culture that trivialized sexualized violence against women along with other damaging behaviors.”
The society will no longer be running frosh week, according to Randy Schmidt, associate director of public affairs at UBC.
He said the school was informed about the chant through an article in the student newspaper, and began its investigation directly afterward.
“The Sauder Dean [Robert Helsley] has indicated he understands the importance of orientation activities,” Schmidt said via email. “He is willing to work with the CUS to look at new kinds of activities that can be assured of meeting UBC’s expectations for safe and respectful environments.”
Darlene Munro, a third-year student at UBC, said that while most of her knowledge of the frosh events came from online articles and word of mouth, the chant went against many values frosh week is supposed to display.
“As a leader and ambassador of UBC, it was something . . . completely unacceptable and goes against much of what we learn in training,” she said.
