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Sexist language and offensive behavior: CBS suspends 25 students for violating intro rules

(Photo by Anna Holte)

25 students and intro guides have been temporarily suspended from CBS for violating intro activity rules. An additional 44 intro guides have received letters of consultation. Now, the concept of intro weeks is up for discussion, yet again. “Deeply disappointing,” says the President of CBS. “It’s terrible that some students have got off to a bad start,” says the President of CBS Students.

News |   06. Dec 2019

Anne Thora Lykkegaard

Journalist

Before the 2016 semester start, CBS introduced a new set of rules for the intro week concept, after students in 2015 reported humiliating and sexist activities during intro week.

The new rules include the requirement that intro guides must sign a code of conduct, which demands that at least two intro guides in each intro group are sober during all of the activities during the intro week, that no alcohol is consumed before 5 PM, and that participants shall not expose other participants to any form of sexual harassment.

Now, 25 students and intro guides have been temporarily suspended for one to two exam periods for violating the rules. More specifically, the suspensions regard consumption of alcohol, offensive behavior and sexist language usage.

“Having to temporarily suspend a large group of students for violating CBS’ rules for intro activities is not only regrettable, it is also deeply disappointing. Our rules are quite clear. Our intro guides have undertaken to comply with our rules and yet violated them, and we can do nothing other than react to this,” says Nikolaj Malchow-Møller, President of CBS, in a press release at CBS.dk.

Mikkel Nielsen, the President of CBS Students, calls it “terrible” that some students have got off to a bad start at CBS.

“It’s awful if students have been exposed to sexist language usage and offensive behavior during the intro, and it’s something we take very seriously,” he says and continues:

“It’s important to say that we have seen an improvement in the evaluations of the recent years’ intro weeks as a whole, but we have to do even more to help the intro guides to make sure that students get off to a good start. That’s why we are in dialogue with CBS about the concept of next year’s intro week.”

In the fall of 2015, new CBS students stepped forward and talked about insulting activities during their intro week at CBS. Activities such as licking whipped cream off bananas placed in between men’s legs, quizzes asking the students to reveal private details about their sex lives, and building vaginas out of condoms and kitchen utensils.

The incident caused CBS to form a committee aiming to revise the intro week concept.

Does the new offensive behavior reflect the general culture at CBS?

“It’s not a part of a general culture at CBS. If it is anything it’s ignorance. Which is why we must further improve the intro guides’ qualifications,” says Mikkel Nielsen.

CBS Students and Senior Management will develop a new intro concept that will be introduced when the semester starts in August 2020.

“We know that getting off to a good start at university is essential to our students’ well-being and academic life. For this reason, it is vital that our intro activities are inclusive for all students and focus on academic as well as social aspects. Neither offensive behavior nor large amounts of alcohol belong there, says Nikolaj Malchow-Møller,” says Nikolaj Malchow-Møller in the press release.

The cases of rule violations have been scrutinized during the past couple of months, and so far, CBS has talked to 53 students. In the coming days, CBS will send letters of consultation to an additional 44 intro guides, however, as these cases are still pending, a decision is not expected to be made until  January, according to the press release.

The temporary suspensions mean that the students will have their student IDs cancelled and cannot participate in exams. Consequently, their studies will be delayed.

Comments

  1. Sofie Skovbo Gottlieb says:

    umm… so when are you going to do something about the culture? This is not a problem of under-educated intro guides; this is a problem of a sexist (rape) culture that permeates society and therefore also university life. And yes, it is absolutely a problem beyond the intro weeks. Our own investigation intro sexual harassment at CBS has shown that just like the DKUNI survey has cemented it. Countless students experience transgressive behavior at the weekly Nexus parties, for example. This is a cultural problem that is not specific to CBS, but that we absolutely should work tirelessly in trying to change. Not least considering that we are, well, an EDUCATIONAL institution. Where is the action?

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