USC headquarters to close for two weeks

A recent PowerPoint presentation, made by USC members and titled "Chick List 2023", evaluates thirty students affiliated with the sorority UVSV as sex objects. The document includes pictures, addresses and phone numbers of the women. Last Friday, USC reacted to the news by calling the presentation "tasteless" and attributing it to two student houses from the fraternity. The youngest students in the two houses were ordered by the oldest ones to make the list. All those involved have been suspended from the association indefinitely. 

Bad image
This is not the first affair to taint USC's image. Earlier this month, a former member of the fraternity was sentenced to three years in jail for raping two students. Last year, footage of a woman with a wine bottle in her rear end, shot in the fraternity's headquarters, emerged, causing a stir. USC's board always reacts by condemning the "abnormal" behaviour and announcing tough measures against the members involved. In last year's case, the members were banned from the fraternity for three months. This time, USC stated that the students responsible for the list are not allowed to join the fraternity's upcoming ski trip, but a definitive punishment is yet to be announced. 

People are questioning whether the punishments applied by the fraternity are effective in changing its underlying culture. Student houses maintain several traditions that outsiders would consider weird or sexist. Whenever outsiders hear about these traditions, the fraternity finds itself in hot water and the board is forced to react. It's not clear how USC is dealing with these cases internally. The PowerPoint presentation was shared on social media last weekend, soon reaching the entire country.

In shock
The latest scandal was met with a landslide of reactions. UVSV, the sorority to which the victims belong, was quick to condemn the "disgusting PowerPoint presentation". Meanwhile, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service is investigating possible legal steps and the victims' parents are considering a collective lawsuit. The umbrella organisation for Dutch student associations published a statement calling the presentation "downright unacceptable". Utrecht University and the municipality of Utrecht reacted in shock as well. In 2021 and 2022, student associations from Utrecht signed a pledge to combat sexual harassment among its members. The university is planning to meet USC's board shortly.

Sexually frustrated
Some people are condemning the individuals responsible for the list and not just their actions, such as Youp van 't Hek, a columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelblad, who called the students "sexually frustrated". He made his space in the paper available to anyone who knows the names of the perpetrators. 

Another columnist, Jerry Goossens, who writes for the local newspaper AD Utrechts Nieuwsblad, says that the youngest students in the frat house, who are around 18 years old, will be mainly punished for having leaked the list, not for having compiled it. In his view, those first-year students are victims of a persisting culture among student associations. He suggested women compile a similar list of "pathetic guys". Lastly, he thinks the university should ban all those responsible – a punishment defended by many others, but not feasible according to the law.

In the national paper De Volkskrant, Developmental Psychologist Steven Pont argues that harsh punishments do nothing to change the culture. He finds that the students involved with the PowerPoint presentation should be acquitted based on freedom of expression. He suggests putting perpetrators and victims together in the same room to talk. 

A taste of their own medicine
There have been many reactions inside Utrecht University as well. Vincent Duindam, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, sent an e-mail to DUB arguing that this case demonstrates the existence of a double standard when it comes to sexuality. He too advises the women of UVSV to give USC guys a taste of their own medicine, exposing the double standard. Ingrid Robeyns, Professor of Ethics, said on LinkedIn that the presentation constitutes violent misconduct and that the university community should speak out against it, showing that such behaviour is unacceptable. She offers to help the victims and their parents file a report and advises the university to pay for their lawyers' costs. Most of all, she hopes that the parents of the USC members talk to them about it. After all, it's clear that something is off with the fraternity's perception of respect for women. "It's about time they stop looking the other way."

Step in the right direction
It is not yet clear how USC will deal with the situation. This week, local newspapers AD/Utrechts Nieuwsblad and Duic reported that the fraternity has sent an e-mail to all members, announcing that its headquarters will be closed for regular activities for two weeks. However, members are free to gather and reflect on "how the association can take a step in the right direction". Moreover, the fraternity's board warned that those who continue to share the presentation, contact the women mentioned to humiliate them further or post messages downplaying the situation will be met with strict sanctions. USC is still deliberating about the punishment for the ones suspended but promises it will be heavy. However, it is unclear what they mean by "heavy" or how the measures will help change its culture.