By Lucy Carroll
Six students have been expelled and another 21 suspended from St Paul’s College at Sydney University after a serious bullying incident last week.
St Paul’s warden Dr Ed Loane said the residential college launched an immediate investigation after becoming aware of an incident that involved “humiliation-type behaviours” among a group of male undergraduate students.
“The college has been shocked and deeply disappointed that some of our students engaged in serious bullying of another student within their friendship group,” Loane told the Herald in a statement.
St Paul’s College is Australia’s oldest residential university college.Credit: Janie Barrett
“This behaviour is contrary to our values and standards. Our response, upon learning of this and conducting a thorough investigation, has been to expel the perpetrators and suspend the bystanders who failed to intervene.”
Loane, a former St Paul’s resident and Anglican minister, said support is being provided to students at the college and new residents were trained to deal with bullying and harassment when they joined the 167-year-old institution.
“We will review and strengthen this training, and we will continue to ensure we are doing everything we can to provide a safe and respectful community,” he said.
External providers run training programs for new students at the college, he said, in bullying and harassment awareness and prevention, and the appropriate use of social media.
St Paul’s, which has about 420 students and is one of six residential colleges at Sydney University, became fully co-educational last year.
It followed a string of scandals and a 2018 investigation into the culture of the college by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who found there were problems with sexism, binge-drinking and ritual humiliation.
That report found students ate sheep’s hearts during initiations and celebrated sporting achievements by taking girls to a “bone room” lined with mattresses.
At the time, St Paul’s said it was addressing that culture and promised to act on all recommendations. The college also said it would take more students from rural and public schools after decades of drawing students mainly from Sydney’s all-boys private schools.
A Sydney University spokesperson said it supported the disciplinary action over the incident and the college’s commitment to review training for students.
“We’re also following up directly to understand additional steps the college is taking to manage this issue and ensure the safety and wellbeing of students,” they said.
“While our affiliated residential colleges are independent, we endeavour to work together closely when issues arise, with the welfare of students our top priority.
“We treat conduct that occurs at or in connection with a residential college as university-related, and urge anyone who has experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour to let us know so we can provide support, investigate, and take appropriate action.”
St Paul’s is Australia’s oldest university residential college. It was one of just four all-male university colleges in the country when in 2021 it flagged plans to go co-ed.
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