University of Sydney college students 'slut shame' female residents in journal

The University of Sydney has launched an investigation into students at one of its oldest colleges after a journal was distributed that labelled female college students as "hoes" and "bitches" while shaming women who had allegedly slept with the most men.
 

The publication, produced by residents of the University of Sydney's Wesley College, devotes a page to "The RackWeb," a map that identifies sexual relationships between different students at the 99-year-old college.
 

"[First year university students] have a willingness to put out for their seniors and for enabling all the hook-ups a sleazy, pussy-hungry adolescent could dream of," the journal states.

Sydney University Women's officer Anna Hush. Photo: Christopher Pearce

"We might be sexist, but you lovely bitches and hoes should know we're trying to correct this."

The journal was produced in 2014 and published last year.

"It made me feel sick reading it," said the University of Sydney's women's officer, Anna Hush. "It's completely disgusting language. Sexism pervades all different spaces at university but colleges definitely do have a particular problem with it."

It is the second time this month that the university's college culture has come under fire, after reports emerged that a woman allegedly woke up to a man sexually assaulting her at a college party last year.

In February, a National Union of Students survey found one in four Australian university students had suffered some form of sexual assault. 

A number of female students who spoke under the condition of anonymity to university publication Pulp said the journal was designed to make them look like "sluts".

They referred to instances of men bashing on women's doors in the middle of the night, "slut juice" [cask wine] being poured into first-year university students' mouths against their will, and males poking female residents with rulers while they took showers.
 

Among the "awards" given to females are categories including "Best Ass", "Best Cleavage", "Biggest Pornstar" and "Kinkiest Collegian".
 

The title of "Mrs RackWeb" is reserved for the woman the journal claims has slept with the most men.
 

A page in the Wesley College Journal. Photo: Christopher Pearce

One of the female students named by the publication said she had stopped having relations with men at the Uniting Church college out of fear of gaining a "reputation".
 

She said she first became concerned when she was handed an instruction manual during her orientation week that included a college chant calling students at another Sydney University college, Sancta Sophia, "Skanktas" who were "always on their backs".
 

Another student who had her name published in the journal said it had ruined her university career.
 

"It's just so misogynistic and so inappropriate to write. And that's published forever. I can't do anything about [it]," she said.

A spokeswoman for the University of Sydney said it was "outraged by the actions of the students".
 

"We have asked the college for the names of the students responsible," she said.
 

In a statement on Wednesday, the Master of Wesley College, Lisa Sutherland, said: "The college does not endorse the contents of the student journal and has zero tolerance to any anti-social behaviour at the college.
 

"Wesley College has absolutely no involvement in the editorial content, production or distribution of the journal.
 

"The Student's Club has apologised for the content of the 2014 journal and has agreed that the journal will no longer be published. There will instead be a Wesley College Students Club Yearbook that will not contain any material outside the academic, cultural and sporting pursuits of the students."
 

Republished with the permission of Sydney Morning Herald.