Footage depicting University of Newcastle students drinking alcohol off each other’s genitals, humiliating hazings of new college residents and games involving drinking vomit is a symptom of the culture “embedded” at the uni’s residences, an advocacy group targeting sexual violence says.
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End Rape on Campus Australia has released a video that combines clips - which are publicly available online - including a threat of rape, a student pushing another student’s face towards an exposed penis, heavy drinking and a group pressuring a male and female student by chanting for them to “hook up”.
“A lot of students say they’re not forced into these hazings or drinking rituals, however it’s very much embedded as part of the culture and there’s an expectation that people participate,” said End Rape On Campus Australia spokesperson Nina Funnell.
She said the footage she found mostly contained students from the Evatt House, Edwards Hall and International House campus living quarters.
Ms Funnell told Fairfax Media that the Newcastle case study was the first of several from universities around Australia, a result of the advocacy group’s two month investigation. The others will be released to coincide with each particular uni’s orientation week.
“One of the things we know about freshers [first year students] in particular is that they’re going through a massive period of transition and upheaval in their life when they start college,” Ms Funnell said.
“They will have a very strong need for belonging and a very strong need for structure around them.
“For someone who is going through all that change, who is going from high school to university, who may be feeling uncertain, who may be feeling anxious - that proposition of having an instant family provided you [participate in the behaviour] is very difficult to pass up.”
A University of Newcastle spokesperson said the university was “appalled” at the behaviour displayed in the video.
“The university takes all allegations of student misconduct seriously and act swiftly to remove offensive behaviour from our campuses where it is reported,” she said.
“Four years ago, the university took over additional management responsibilities of the residential colleges. Since that time, we have worked consistently to develop and implement targeted programs aimed at educating students and their support staff on the appropriate behaviours and our expectations of conduct in our community.
“As well as the education and preventative measures, students found to have behaved in this way are subject to severe penalties.”
