Offensive cheers part of UBC’s FROSH week
Posted September 7, 2013 1:09 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Some first year students at UBC have been caught chanting demeaning cheers led by upper year students.
The news comes after students from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax were busted for using similar cheers this week.
The chants and cheers are about non-consensual sex with young girls.
Geoff Lister, editor for UBC’s student paper The Ubyssey, says it’s up to the leaders of the Commerce Society — which coordinates FROSH week — to prevent these cheers. “You can’t just try and say you had no control over your leaders; they had rigorous control over their leaders and the selection of their leaders.”
Lister claims FROSH leaders taught the cheers to new students away from the eyes and ears of society leaders and told them not to use the chants in public.
In a written statement, the Commerce Undergraduate Society says “we will be taking all feasible steps going forward to ensure all unacceptable behavior is fully eradicated from our orientation events. Furthermore, we will be turning a critical eye on all of our services to ensure that as an organization, the Commerce Undergraduate Society is inclusive and safe for all participants at all times.”
Statement issued by dean and UBC vice-president of students
In a statement on the university’s website, the Dean of the Sauder School of Business and UBC’s vice-president of students call the reports of the chanting “of grave concern.”
They say such behaviour is consistent with the values of the university and say an investigation will be launched.
