VANCOUVER — Students and faculty at the University of B.C. are expressing shock and dismay that new students at an orientation were encouraged to sing along with a so-called rape chant that promotes sex with underage girls and then keep it a secret.
UBC student Lucia Lorenzi was already speaking out about the culture of frosh week on campus when she learned that some business students had been involved in the chant, which closely mirrors an earlier chant at St. Mary’s University in Halifax that has sparked national outrage.
“It absolutely disturbs me,” said Lorenzi.
The three-day Sauder School of Business frosh on the Sept. 1 weekend was organized by the Commerce Undergraduate Society.
“The reaction has been unequivocally and broadly one of horror and outrage among staff, faculty and students,” said Steven Galloway, an associate professor and acting chair of the creative writing department. Galloway said he wasn’t speaking for UBC, but as a father of two daughters and an UBC alumnus.
Lorenzi, however, wonders whether the chant is indicative of something wider in campus culture.
Lorenzi had already blogged about a frosh week booth set up outside the student union building that advertised a local nightclub to students by blaring a song with the lyrics: “I’m only here for the bitches and the drinks, the bitches and the drinks.”
It troubled her, but because the booth was run by an non-campus group, she didn’t blame frosh organizers.
Then came the Sauder frosh chant.
Lorenzi, a PhD student, said she was particularly dismayed by news that students that participated were instructed by their frosh leaders to keep the chant private.
“The attitude that you can do this and try to keep it out of the public eye means you know it’s wrong,” said Lorenzi.
The issue came to light after a student named Emma tweeted the chant: It began “Y-O-U-N-G at UBC, we like ‘em young,” and went on to talk about underage sisters, sex and lack of consent.
The UBC student newspaper, Ubyssey, broke the story on Friday.
On Sunday, the Commerce Undergraduate Society and the UBC Alma Mater Society released a joint statement apologizing for the chant and promising a full investigation. The AMS is an organization charged with overseeing conduct of student organizations.
In a phone interview, AMS president Caroline Wong said “both frosh chairs have resigned.”
On Friday, the Commerce society issued a statement signed by president Enzo Woo, vice-president Gillian Ong and frosh co-chairs Jacqueline Chen and Jonathan Li, saying they have a no-tolerance policy for activities that are harmful towards other students.
Sauder dean Robert Helsley said in statement that the business school and the office of the UBC vice-president will conduct an investigation and that any disciplinary measures will follow the university’s policy on non-academic misconduct.
RELATED LINKS
Rape-chanting SMU student president Jared Perry announces resignation (o.canada.com)
Saint Mary’s rape chant was more than ‘inappropriate’ (o.canada.com)