Students called ‘hoes’ and ‘b***hes’ in Sydney college journal

A SHOCKING journal distributed at Sydney University “sl*t-shames” women with awards for the “Biggest Pornstar” and “Kinkiest Collegian”.

A page of “definitions” from the Wesley College Journal. Picture: Aparna Balakumar

FEMALE students say they have been “sl*t-shamed” in a magazine distributed at the University of Sydney that describes women as “hoes” and “b***hes”.

The Wesley College Journal dishes out awards for “Best Ass”, “Best Cleavage”, “Biggest Pornstar” and “Kinkiest Collegian”, while claiming to identify the woman who has allegedly slept with the most men.

A page entitled “The Rackweb” features a spider diagram allegedly identifying inter-college “hook-ups”. The title of “Mrs Rackweb” is awarded to the woman the journal claims has slept with the most men.

“We might be sexist, but you lovely b***hes and hoes should know we’re trying to correct this,” reads one page.

Another explains that Freshers are known primarily for their “drunken debaucherous behaviour”, “willingness to put out for their seniors” and for “enabling all the hook-ups a sleazy, p***y-hungry adolescent could dream of.”

Students at Wesley College told Aparna Balakumar, editor of student union publication Pulp, that the journal was designed to make them look like “sl*ts.”

The Wesley College Journal was produced by the university’s only co-ed campus in 2014 and published last year.

The awards section in the journal. Picture: Aparna Balakumar

One student said it had ruined her life, and she couldn’t tell her parents why their once bubbly daughter had become so withdrawn. “It’s worse than people could ever imagine,” she told the paper. “That’s published forever. I can’t do anything about that.

“The whole idea of college is pretty much you’re a sl*t if you’re a girl no matter what you do.”

Another said she had stopped having relationships for fear of gaining a “reputation”. She described receiving a manual at O-Week that included a college chant calling Sancta Sophia College students “Skanktas” who were “always on their backs”.

Some students decided to leave Wesley College after a 2014 Christmas in July event at which they were “pressured” to be photographed for a nude calendar after they had been drinking, they told Pulp.

Others shared stories about cask wine (nicknamed “sl*t juice”) being poured into freshers’ mouths against their will, male students poking female students with rulers while they showered and students warning new residents to look out for the rapist on their floor, as a “joke”.

A student from another Sydney University college, who wanted to remain anonymous, told news.com.au she attended a college breakfast with Wesley in O-Week 2013.

“It was one of the most sexist things I’ve ever witnessed,” she said. “It’s traditional for colleges to give freshers nicknames, and at that breakfast they were on full display. The one that sticks in my mind was ‘fresher moist’, who had to have a wet T-shirt at all times. When the senior male leaders saw at the breakfast that her shirt was dry, they made her pour milk all over herself and roll around in it until she was on the verge of tears.”

‘The Rackweb’ maps out alleged inter-college ‘hook-ups’, naming one female student as ‘Mrs Rackweb’ for allegedly sleeping with the most men. Picture: Aparna Balakumar

During a tour of the college in 2012, the student asked if many people abstained from drinking there, and was told one boy who didn’t party in O-Week was “so shunned that he chose to leave college.”

“The fact they’re telling prospective students that is disgusting,” she said. “They scare people into doing whatever so that they belong.”

A similar scandal emerged last month when students at the University of NSW’s Philip Baxter College were captured on video chanting songs that “glorified rape”.

The group of young men, apparently filmed on a bus during an annual “Boys’ Night Out” event, are heard chanting about wishing women were “holes in the road” and wanting to “cream them by the dozen”.

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

Students say the college known for its hard-partying culture. Picture: Aparna Balakumar

“Since 2009, the journal has not received the endorsement of either the college or the University of Sydney because the tenure and tone of the journal had departed from the traditionally accepted content that reflected the activities and values of Wesley 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.”

A spokeswoman for the university said: “The University of Sydney is outraged by the actions of the students and has asked the college for the names of the students responsible.”

Sydney University women’s officer Anna Hush told news.com.au the language in the journal was “horrific”, while NUS women’s officer Heidi La Paglia called it “disciminatory” and a reflection of a “big problem” for Australian universities around sexism and sexual assault, particularly on campuses.

Anna added: “It’s not often these things get out from the colleges, because they’re often pretty insular. We’ve seen similar incidents in the past. I don’t think it’s an isolated incident.”

The news comes just days after students labelled Australian universities “ripe for sexual harassment and assault” and Universities Australia committed $1 million this year to collecting comprehensive data on the extent of the problem.

A man will appear at court in August after an alleged sexual assault at Sydney Unviersity’s St John’s College last October.

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