#shameonyouwarwick

[smcbride]

Warwick Police haven't prosecuted anyone for these vile rape threats and Warwick uni are now letting (some of?) the perpetrators back in to study at the same university alongside those they discussed threatening to rape.

Would you be happy sending your child here?

Warwick students suspended over rape threats allowed to return earlyly*_

This from the Complete University Guide (uk) website:
"Online harassment and internet trolls were uncovered in National Union of Students studies. There have been trends on social media with so-called ‘spotted’ or ‘confessions’ pages at many universities. Photographs are taken of people unaware in the library or elsewhere on campus, with their pictures widely shared, rated, and commented on ‒ regularly in a misogynistic manner.
One woman complained about the Facebook ‘Uni Lad’ group, saying that it “regularly posts demeaning things about women and rape jokes, which I and my fellow female students find appalling. I have seen many male university friends have ‘liked’ the page.”
It has even been reported that female students’ rooms have been entered at night, duvets torn off and photographs taken and circulated"

So basically if you wrote you have a bomb in your bag at an airport you would be immediately arrested - even if it was a "joke" - however I could write extremely violent threats against a female student and it is "tolerated" because everyone does it presumably??!! and they are just "boys". "Boys" whose "lives would be ruined with a criminal record" presumably the argument goes?

It would be interesting to see what happened if a group of male staff were to have a group chat discussing the rape of a senior member of university staff, which they then showed to the named woman.

Warwick, notoriously, suspended a male professor a few years ago for sighing in a departmental meeting (i.e. disrespecting management):

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/11187063/Professor-suspended-from-top-university-for-giving-off-negative-vibes.html

The rules are seemingly different according to who you upset.

this whole issue of questioning women about their sexual history surely reinforces the misogynist view that women are either whores or virgins

in some ways the investigatory aspect of it is if not worse, at least as worrying.

Agree.

I didn't know about that suspension of a Professor for getting his body language wrong in a department meeting. Words fail me.

He was also stopped from returning their work or providing guidance on PhDs and was not permitted to have contact with undergraduates.

Because he sighed? 🤔 He should've written a diary about raping the female students and he might've been allowed to stay. Beggars belief.

If I got fired for sighing, rolling my eyes or snorting i’d’ve been out of work a lot.

I’m my defence - I used to see a lot of agencies in my line of work and some of the things you’d see/hear!

"So basically if you wrote you have a bomb in your bag at an airport you would be immediately arrested - even if it was a "joke" - however I could write extremely violent threats against a female student and it is "tolerated" because everyone does it presumably??!! and they are just "boys". "Boys" whose "lives would be ruined with a criminal record" presumably the argument goes?"

^^
THIS, as danceyourselfsilly says. Pah and double pah! Double standards.

University just confirmed they won’t be returning

Excellent. Who made the decision and what are Warwick going to do to move on from this?

I'm pathetic. I'm crying with relief for those girls.

Probably ‘the boys’. I can’t imagine many having the brass neck to go back there.

The full statement is on link from university’s twitter page

https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/groupchattupdateanddfurther_information/

*women, not girls, sorry. Bravo to the women for coming out fighting and not letting themselves be the victims.

Brilliant news - good riddance - sends a clear message to everyone that such disgusting behaviour is not acceptable

Yes bravo to the young women involved, and also to everyone who kept the pressure on in social media. It is good to have a win for women's safety for a change.

Brilliant news!!

The vice-chancellor, who couldn't get involved because discipline is independent of management, couldn't expel the students because of process, and couldn't comment on individuals because of confidentiality, has announced that he has personally spoken to the "young men" and personally confirmed they will not be returning to university, and personally gives the news in the statement.

So he can get involved, they're not coming back, and he's given the news. It's amazing how massive publicity, a near-70000 signature petition and a few radio and TV programmes, not to mention the fact that the top few pages of search hits on "Warwick University" on Google all mention "rape", can alter the vice chancellor's inability to act.

I'm very angry about this story at the moment. Whatever women do to gain rights. It's always undone. Don't get me started on transgender and shared toilets/changing rooms!!

Glad the women won't have to face their abusers. Shame on Warwick ( I did a post doc there:( ) behaved so poorly. Advising DD not to continue her application and have emailed Warwick about this

I would still like to know if they were offered a choice and declined it or if they were expelled. Typical weasilly message from the VC. Of the two, I also wonder if Ben Clements was one? He seems to have done a vanishing act over the past few days of the online coverage

The letter from the MP for the neighbouring constituency was probably the last straw. It's not even velvet glove and iron fist: that's a letter which is an iron fist in an iron glove.

twitter.com/MattWestern_/status/1092464224515821568

I'm relieved these boys won't be on campus with my daughter.

I happen to think that it is the best decision for the boys long term as hopefully they will modify their behaviour. They will think long and hard before making the same mistake again.

That is a good start but now they need to look at their disciplinary proceedures and ensure that the conflict of interest that placed their press officer on the disciplinary panel and allowed him to question the complainants about their sexual history should never be repeated.