This is wrong right?

[DukeOfSussex]

If your teenage daughter had her first week at the University of Sussex this week this is what found in her welcome bag.

A Pot Noodle, A tablet of washing detergent, a sim card and an individual sized portion of instant coffee.

AND

A picture of a woman designed to look like she has spunk dripping down her face to sell toothbrushes. "whether you spit or swallow during your twice daily oral regime..."

She'll also find a drinks night event by the Student union being advertised all over campus. It has a picture of a dead eyed half naked woman laying in an empty bath...which advertises what? Fuck knows.

She will also find a copy of the student newspaper in her bag. On the front cover at the very top of the page is an article entitled "Transphobia and toilets". This is discussing the recent words of University of Sussex philosophy professor Kathleen Stock who dared to very (politely) question some aspects of trans theory.

Your daughter, if disabled, will also be concerned to see that some of the disabled toilets have been declared "for all genders". Which is lovely and inclusive but not ideal if you're disabled and need a wee and need to wait for an able bodied non binary male wearing lipstick to go for a shit first.

She will find that the "This Sussex Girl Can" all women only classes are open to all "women, trans gender people and non binary individuals" so just mixed classes basically .

So far so expected of university in general but what upsets me is that people wanted Kathleen Stock's job for having an opinion. She caused students to feel "unsafe" with her very words, but in a world where women are literally unsafe and sexual assault is endemic in universities, Sussex student union didn't think twice before objectifying its female students. If your employer gave you a goody bag with this card in it you could rightfully be making a formal complaint to your HR department. Why is it appropriate for university?

We can't discuss why it's always a woman advertising drinks, or toothbrushes without discussing women and the group of people who actually deal with the real repercussions of being women. It's a bloody joke.Why don't people care about actual sexism, real life objectification of women.

Tracking this round the world is my new favourite hobby. I hope Sussex put it in as a case study in their Global Media and Communications Course.

A comment under that refers to the term "sexual harassment" as a buzzword.

thebadgeronline.com/2018/09/students-union-apologises-sexist-beermats/

Sussex uni paper^

The bags are packed by a team who may not have opened these Dig In boxes.

I am [hmm at the university's steadfast refusal to admit that any member of staff had seen them before they were passed out.

I think this one may be for Russian readers although not sure:
www.rt.com/uk/438994-spit-swallow-sussex-university/

It's bad news for Sussex University that their name is in the URL. All those international families wondering which upstanding UK uni give their money to, doing internet searches to choose which one.

I am [hmm at the university's steadfast refusal to admit that any member of staff had seen them before they were passed out.

That just makes them look incompetent if you believe them and liars if you don't.

Another student paper
thetab.com/uk/sussex/2018/09/21/sussex-responds-to-spit-or-swallow-freshers-welcome-boxes-29473
– who get that parents are important.

A tadge unfair, perhaps, since it sounds as though these packs may have ended up in many unis, and it isn't the fault of the university itself.

Yes, unfair for Sussex.

But they are the ones with the biggest platform to come out and make a very strong statement about sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual violence and what they do to stop it.

TRIGGER
This Australian one runs the story below a video of student initiation ceremonies, no punches pulled.
www.themercury.com.au/business/work/university-apologises-after-firstyears-handed-welcome-packs-with-spit-or-swallow-beer-mats/news-story/f291c6b7fbc40f3ca5c27bf2e2695b20

Sussex and its student union prides itself on it's wokeness, but when it comes to sexism it looks the other way or outright contributes to a hostile environment for women.

I don't think it is unfair. That they're all doing it is doesn't change it for me.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sussex-university-student-assault-allison-smith-senior-lecturer-dr-lee-salter-beat-punch-stamp-a7533751.html

www.sussexstudent.com/news/article/ussu/Statement-from-University-of-Sussex-Students-Union-Exec/

I hadn't watched the video before, christ.

I mean, unfair that Sussex were the ones that it blew up for – the other Unis should also be in the picture.

Sussex could show some sector leadership, get together with the other Unis affected to use the chance to show what the UK HE sector together are doing about sexual violence on campus.

Except they are now all in competition with each other.
Other Unis will enjoy Sussex getting a kicking.

NothingOnTellyAgain

Excellent post.

It's also not lost me that it is these kids who are prudish. As they simply cannot imagine older people having sex. The fact that the older people have most likely had vastly more sex and they have seems to be lost on them.

And a final note, there is a third option to spit or swallow. And that's the don't come in my mouth split-second swerve.

I find it impossible to believe that on the arrival of 1000s of boxes of free stuff, no-one in the students union thought > I wonder what they're getting this year let's have a look / we always order a round number and spares and I love free stuff so I'm going to have one (this is a standard "perk" of jobs where you get loads of stuff to be given for free in jobs let alone in uni where you are often skint!). I have been the proud recipient of more than one company branded pencil in my time

OP

Reminded me of this part

"he'll also find a drinks night event by the Student union being advertised all over campus. It has a picture of a dead eyed half naked woman laying in an empty bath…which advertises what? Fuck knows"

The porny spunk mouth has caused a kerfuffle as the visual imagery is so awful.

Can your DD take a snap of one of these posters and send it to you, I think people have overlooked it as words speak more than pictures but it sounds fucking awful and would be good to flag as well while the university and others as well presumably have their eyes on this story.

That shoudl say can she do it ?

Wasn't meant to sound like an order lol

n your DD take a snap of one of these posters and send it to you, I think people have overlooked it as words speak more than pictures but it sounds fucking awful and would be good to flag as well while the university and others as well presumably have their eyes on this story.

Can see about that yes, although now it's already been in the papers without the photo I doubt Sussex will actually care. Or hopefully they've removed them quietly. It was mentioned in some of the papers including HuffPo but Sussex hasn't mentioned it.

Day to day Universities turn a blind eye to a lot of unacceptable sexist, and dangerous, behaviour. They seem only to respond when such behaviour gains national attention, perhaps through unacceptable rugby club behaviour or leaked group chats.

A friend and I once compared notes of date rape drug incidents our daughters had told us about across several Universities, and it was shocking. There seems a pattern of Universities not highlighting incidents so that girls can be more cautious. Ditto initiations, which are supposedly "banned", but which take place anyway. DD went to two which were fine, and fun, but others on the same campus were not safe. with organisers doiing next to nothing to protect young students.

The University DD attends is already under fire over a number of shocking suicides. Their response, in part, has been to withdraw Hall wardens, and indeed only senior residents (PGs etc who spend a certain amount of time organising hall activities in exchange for free accomodation) only remain as a result of student protest. Add in the fact that budget cuts mean that many students will not have personal tutors, and poor attendence, even when monitored, is often not not followed up.

The justification, I assume is that everything is fine because 18 year olds away from home for the first time, are adults. Priorities instead, are revamping toilets to meet the needs to transgender students, at a cost of over three times the Universities' annual welfare budget:

thetab.com/uk/bristol/2018/09/13/bristol-university-to-introduce-gender-neutral-bathrooms-in-all-buildings-34168

But it is not fine. Absolutely not fine. This week 18 year olds will be sharing University flats with 11 complete strangers, in a city with arguably the highest rate of drug use in Britain (at least that's what sewer samples suggest), with no effective curbs on anti-social behaviours, and be expected to have the time of their lives. Don't forget that this is the first internet/Fb generation, and some boys (and girls) will have had their world views skewed by porn/Kardashians/etc.

At least two unacceptable, probably criminal, incidents happened to girls in DD's flat. The University appears to make no effort to encourage reporting of incidents, and when reports happen, the support offered can be disappointing. And that is before you consider whether all managed the transition to the student version of adulthood without problem.

Errol is right. Sussex is not alone here. The problem is wider. Both University authorities and Student Unions need to step up.

Thanks Duke - strike while the iron is hot and all that.

I do tihnk that the visual imagery is what has caused this to go viral - so putting this unconsious semi naked bath woman snap next to teh come bog one would leave the university with even more questions to answer.

And they can't say they didn't know / no-one had seen it, if they're up all overcampus.

Hopefully someone will have quietly taken them down but who knows.

Thye never had "initiations" when I went to uni in the mid 90s.

Has this come from USA?

We dont' have the brotherhood of man and sisters of mercy or whatever it's called (genuinely can't remember!) - the "greek" stuff they call it or something - so what are they being initiated into?

needsmoresleep, I'm sorry to hear about your DD's friends experiences.
Doing HE is a risk, sadly one young people can die from taking.

Fraternities and Sororities, Nothingon?

And no, we don’t have them (although there is probably something similar between the absolute poshos at Oxbridge, clubs like the Bullingdon etc) and we certainly shouldn’t be importing them.

Nothingontelly - they have been around a while, remember Cameron's pig head...

metro.co.uk/2015/09/23/8-university-initiations-that-are-just-as-strange-and-distasteful-as-piggate-5402845/

And thanks babyteeth. DD will be fine. I worry though about welfare efforts being directed solely at the symptoms, not the problem. The problem includes the messages given, including those in the OP but all over social media, to young people, both male and female. Symptoms include a massive rise in reported anxiety rates, suicide rates, a huge increase in rapid on-set gender dysmorphia (I will leave it to Penny Mordaunt to work out the causes), and seemingly increased use of self-medication through drugs and alcohol (when did taking ket become near-universally accepted.)

Time for Universities and SUs to step up, consider what the problems are and take steps to address them.