The University of British Columbia (UBC) has joined St. Mary’s University in Halifax in making headlines for pro-rape chants cheered during the universities’ respective Frosh Weeks. The chants encouraged sex with underage girls, including in situations that are not consensual. Many students at St. Mary’s claimed that their chant was traditional, whereas a frosh leader at UBC claimed that the chant was meant to “stay in the group,” because of past problems with “the cheers being public…and the dean seeing.” Ramifications for the chants are being felt across the two campuses: at St. Mary’s, the student union president and vice-president have resigned. At UBC the student leaders involved are under investigation. The chants have sparked a national conversation, with many using them as a springboard to question the merits of Frosh Week as a whole. Others have pointed to the chants as evidence of rape culture on campus.
With files from Canada.com
