Radical calls to shut down USYD's colleges

The incoming student council of the University of Sydney have set themselves one major goal: Shut down the university's "awful" on-campus colleges.

"The main quadrangle building of the University of Sydney, seen from the front lawns. Established in 1850, the university is the oldest in Australia and Oceania."

The incoming student council of the University of Sydney have set themselves one major goal to achieve: Shut down the university's "awful" colleges.

Students at Australia’s most prestigious university are leading a push to shut down residential colleges on campus, following an uptick of sexual assault in the private accomodation.

The University of Sydney’s incoming student council president, Lia Perkins, told The Oz she hopes to run an “activist SRC”, following her election on Wednesday. Her key goal? To shut down university student accommodation. 

“We have a lot of members who have attended residential colleges and come out with the most awful stories,” she said. “It’s pretty clear the consent module we do at the beginning of university isn’t enough, and more needs to be done.” 

National Student Safety Survey results released this year revealed 67% of students had been sexually harassed since starting at university. Some 25% of those incidents had occurred in colleges of private accommodation. 

“They need to be shut down,” she said. “There is so much sexist stuff that comes out of those institutions, and something needs to change.” 

St Andrews College at the University of Sydney.

Perkins told The Oz she met with Newtown Greens MP Jenny Leong to discuss changes to existing legislation that dictates colleges operate independently of the university. Perkins and her council want to see universities govern the student accomodation and take “active steps to stop awful things from happening.” 

Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott told The Oz the University of Sydney had a “a zero tolerance policy” for sexual violence, but also noted colleges operate independently of the institution. 

“Over the past several years we’ve invested huge resources and effort into support and preventative measures within our community,” he said. 

“We know more can always be done and we’re currently implementing an action roadmap to broaden our prevention interventions, including consulting with the colleges to inform our collective approach.”

One in 12 female St Andrew’s students were found to have experienced attempted or completed rape or sexual assault since commencing, according to the 2018 End Rape on Campus Australia report, making it the worst offending college on campus.

A spokesperson from St Andrews, which was found to be the worst offending of the university’s colleges in a 2018 review into university culture, said the college had “gone to great lengths to build a respectful, mature and thoughtful community.”

“Along with the other residential Colleges within the University of Sydney, we are committed to the elimination of sexual misconduct within the community,” the spokesperson said, citing new measures including improving reporting mechanisms and embedding a 40/40/20 gender diversity rule for student leadership. 

“We are seeing significant positive change within our own communities, and are aware that the overwhelming majority of college students feel safe and supported within residential settings in Australian universities.

The spokesperson added the college would be “delighted to host the President of the SRC and share the wonderful work we are doing.”

Perkins’ other key election platforms were to engage in activism for Indigenous students and to petition against course cutting.