‘Rip it up’: Horrific scenes at University of Sydney student council meeting

A “reprehensible display”, caught on camera, at a University of Sydney student meeting on Wednesday night has been condemned.

University of Sydney students have been left appalled by a “reprehensible display of misogyny” at a student council meeting on Wednesday night.

During the meeting, two male students tore up copies of a landmark report that exposed the systemic culture of sexual violence, hazing, elitism and inaction at Australia’s university colleges.

The annual meeting – held after the student elections for Representatives-Elect of the 97th Student Representative Council – was recorded and live-streamed in its entirety by USYD’s student newspaper, Honi Soit – a fact that attendees are fully aware of.

The incident occurred during a presentation by incoming SRC Women’s Officers and current Sexual Violence Officers, Ellie Robertson and Martha Barlow, that addressed the recent bullying incident at St Paul’s College and the “years and years of abhorrent and disgusting behaviour” at USYD, particularly at its “unreformable” residential colleges.

“Even after The Red Zone Report – which we are handing out to all you college apologists – and the Broderick Report, we have seen more instances of hazing, bullying and sexual violence. This is a continuing result of the elitist culture of these institutions,” Ms Robertson told attendees, while Ms Barlow passed out copies of The Red Zone Report to the elected Student Representatives.

“This is a continuing result of the elitist culture of these institutions.”

In response to Ms Robertson and Ms Barlow’s presentation, two male students ripped up the report – one remarking “no one cares”, while a third male student picked up the shreds of it and threw them in the air. All three boys are affiliated with the campus’ Young Liberals-aligned political group.

News.com.au has contacted the group for comment.

‘It is a quite frankly reprehensible display of misogyny.' Picture: Supplied

A photo of the shredded Red Zone Report. Picture: Supplied/Honi Soit

‘A reprehensible display of misogyny’

The students’ actions have been condemned by the university, meeting’s attendees (most of whom were “appalled by the behaviour”), and the authors of and participants in The Red Zone Report, who spoke to news.com.au about the boys’ “insulting and shameful” display.

Ms Barlow, who was the one to pass out the copies of the report, said it was “horrific, but perhaps not surprising” that the response of the Liberals and colleges’ representatives was to “laugh in my face, tear it up, and throw the pieces at us”.

“It is a quite frankly reprehensible display of misogyny to so blatantly laugh...(at the) victim-survivors (in the report), and an incredibly telling one,” Ms Barlow told news.com.au.

“Just like the colleges themselves, these student representatives would prefer to ignore the problem of sexual violence altogether and pretend it doesn’t exist. To this we say that the time is long past to sweep this under the rug.”

Just three months ago, the USYD’s Annual Report on Sexual Misconduct revealed that staff and student reports of sexual assault or harassment had more than doubled since 2022, up from 121 to a total of 246 in 2023.

To “laugh, undermine and ridicule” incidents of sexual violence at colleges, Ms Robertson told news.com.au, particularly when there were victim-survivors in the room, “is extremely vile and harmful”.

President of the USYD SRC for 2024, Harrison Brennan, said the actions of the councillors from the Liberal and College tickets “are nothing short of deplorable”.

“In a week already marred by reports of degrading hazing and assault at St Paul’s College, these individuals, aligned with the conservative campus club, tore up a report on sexual violence, harassment, and hazing within the colleges,” he told news.com.au.

“Their behaviour shows nothing has changed.”

‘Their behaviour shows nothing has changed.’ Picture: Supplied

‘It is a slap in the face’

Commissioned and published by End Rape on Campus (EROC) in February 2018, The Red Zone Report: an investigation into sexual violence and hazing in Australian university colleges, contained 200 pages of graphic photos, screenshots and police reports – as well as the stories of dozens of rape and hazing survivors – documenting the culture of sexual violence within Australian universities’ residential colleges, including those at USYD.

Its lead author, Nina Funnell, and EROC founder, Sharna Bremner, said in a joint statement they were “disgusted by the behaviour” at the SRC meeting.

“To hear current students remark ‘no one cares’ as they laughed about rape and hazing is not a slap in the face to us as The Red Zone authors,” they said.

“It is a slap in the face to those who were harmed in the colleges and survived, and to the loved ones of those who didn’t.”

Survivor-advocate Jacinta Mortell detailed her experience reporting her sexual assault to the University of Newcastle to coincide with the public launch of The Red Zone Report in 2018 – “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done”, she told news.com.au.

The footage from Wednesday night, Ms Mortell said, left her “horrified”.

“They think it’s funny to rip up a report that articulates the devastating sexual violence experienced by victim-survivors at universities and colleges across Australia for decades, and it blatantly shows how seriously they take these issues,” she continued.

“It is a slap in the face to every survivor. It is a slap in the face to every person fighting for women’s safety, both on campus and across the country.”

University of Sydney launches inquiry into incident

USYD Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Joanne Wright, said the university has initiated an “immediate inquiry” into the incident.

“Any behaviour that mocks victim-survivors or ignores the impact of trauma resulting from sexual misconduct is absolutely unacceptable,” Professor Wright told news.com.au

“We’re dedicated to creating a safe environment for our students and staff and we are formally reminding the SRC of their obligation to manage their meetings with sensitivity and respect.”

Though student representative and student-led groups are independent of USYD, Prof Wright emphasised that all members are “required to abide by our policies and codes of conduct, and we don’t hesitate to take action if we determine there has been a breach”.

“We are deeply disappointed by what has reportedly occurred and expect higher standards from our students,” she said.

“Everyone in our community has a responsibility to foster a respectful and inclusive culture.”

Students call to ‘abolish the colleges’

Until calls for transparency, student protection and an end to harmful traditions and culture are addressed, Ms Mortell said “violence and bigotry” will continue to thrive at universities and in their residential colleges “without consequence”.

“How long do we have to accept institutionalised misogyny, discrimination and a pervasive culture of entitlement and impunity (and) … environments like this where survivors’ voices are not only minimised but ripped up?” she said.

“Why are these organisations being allowed to continue to sidestep accountability and block any meaningful reform?”

The University of Sydney has initiated an ‘immediate inquiry’ into the incident. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

In a group statement, members of USYD’s Women’s Collective said it was “beyond evident” that “nothing has changed” in regard to the residential colleges, which “remain unsafe”.

The Women’s Collective is set to bring a petition to the NSW Government “to force politicians to debate amendments to the college legislation and confront this disgusting culture”.

“The time is long past to keep listening to (the colleges’) platitudes about consent training and reforming senior leadership – especially when it is all too frequently college leaders using their leadership positions to perpetrate violence and bullying,” Ms Barlow said.

“Students deserve to live in dignity and feel safe at their own university, and this will never happen while the colleges still stand.”

Mr Brennan, of the SRC, echoed the sentiment.

“After several scathing reports and supposed internal college-led education programs, this toxic and sexist culture continues to permeate the colleges, a hub for elite private school boys from across Australia,” he said.

“This is why we need to abolish the colleges and their independence in NSW legislation and replace it with accessible and affordable student housing which fosters a safe environment for all students.”

Originally published as ‘Rip it up’: Horrific scenes at University of Sydney student council meeting