UU and HU stop subsidising USC following "slut list"

The subsidies have been cancelled until the end of the year. In addition, USC is no longer welcome in the official events organised by UU and HU, such as UU's anniversary, to be celebrated on March 26. The fraternity must also apologise publicly to the women mentioned on the list.

What's more, USC's board has until May 1 to present a plan to improve social safety among its ranks. The fraternity must not only change its culture but also make sure the culture changes in the student houses it maintains as well. This plan should include a clear sanction policy. UU and HU will evaluate the plan according to their codes of conduct for inclusion and social safety.

If the two institutions do not find the plan adequate, they will break all ties with USC from 2025 onwards. USC's board members will keep receiving their grants until the end of the year, under certain conditions.

USC is recognised by HU and UU as a student organisation, which means that the fraternity gets subsidies from both institutions and their board members are entitled to a grant. Moreover, the fraternity is always invited to official events such as the opening of the academic year and the university's anniversary.

"Disgusting"
The administration of both universities had already reacted with shock to the news of a PowerPoint presentation ranking first-year students affiliated with the sorority UVSV according to their appearance and sexual preferences. The document, which features the women's names, pictures and addresses, was posted on social media and soon shared all over the country.

USC applied its own sanctions against the students responsible for the list, who were suspended from the fraternity. USC also decided to keep its headquarters closed for two weeks. On Thursday, March 21, HU and UU announced their sanctions against the perpetrators. "What happened exceeds the limits of what is permissible. We are an inclusive university, where all our students should feel safe," declared UU Rector Henk Kummeling in a statement published on the university's website. "That is why we take this very seriously," adds Wilma Scholte op Reimer, chair of the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. "The sanctions clearly indicate that changing the unacceptable culture at USC is a prerequisite for the future. We are closely monitoring this together with UU."

Henk Kummeling continues: "We understand that cultural changes require significant effort and time. With these sanctions, we aim to underscore that USC members have crossed a line, with enormous harmful and irreversible consequences for their fellow students. The path to improvement must be swiftly embraced by USC."

In touch with UVSV
UU's Rector and HU's chair also state that they are in touch with UVSV, offering support to the victims through the sorority and the lawyer representing the victims' parents, who joined forces to verify how they can seek justice in court. UU adds that students and employees are welcome to contact the study advisor or the inappropriate behaviour councillor if they would like to talk about the incident or report other cases of sexual harassment and abuse. They can also send an e-mail to vertrouwenspersonen-ongewenstgedrag@uu.nl.