University announces discussion about etiquette
Parents of slut list victims pushing for a new policy
USC members in front of the "yellow castle". Photo: DUB
This spring, members of the Utrecht Student Corps (USC) compiled a list in which members of the sorority UVSV are ranked according to attractiveness and sexual performance. The document, which contains pictures, contact information, and descriptions of the victims' sexual preferences, was posted online and quickly went viral. The victims' parents then hired lawyer Ina Brouwers to prosecute the list's compilers.
In a press release sent out last weekend, Brouwer states that the parents believe universities and student associations lack a "clear and effective sanctions policy" which results in perpetrators not being held accountable for their actions and victims being left to their fates. That's why they have set up a foundation to change this situation.
Victims are on their own
The parents think that drawing up covenants is "simply insufficient" to bring about a cultural change. They are probably referring to the code of conduct that fifty student associations, including USC, signed in Utrecht last month (link in Dutch only, Ed.).
One of the parents, who is also a member of the foundation's board, explains in the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant why far-reaching measures are necessary: "It is still considered cool to compile such a list and victims are on their own.”
The foundation's board is comprised of two parents and the journalist Milou Deelen, herself a slut shaming victim in Groningen in 2016. The board is assisted by lawyers Ina Brouwer and Otto Volgenant, as well as by the criminal lawyer Pieter Huisman.
On the agenda
In a meeting with the University Council, UU Rector Kummeling said on Monday the university had already talked to the parents and lawyers, who requested the Executive Board establish “a stricter etiquette, including online” as well as “stricter sanctions.”
Kummeling added that, due to recent events, the Executive Board was already planning to put this topic on the agenda. “What kind of behaviour is desirable and what kind of behaviour is not? How should we interact with each other and how should we not? Then, we can also discuss if this should be translated into rules or codes and, if so, how.”