The fallout continues at Saint Mary’s University after a video of students chanting about the sexual assault of underage girls surfaced online last week, sparking outrage on campus and on social media.
A SMU student who spoke out against the controversial frosh week chant says she is now being targeted, while an opinion piece in The Chronicle Herald is igniting the debate about consent.
The controversial chant was performed by 80 frosh leaders – both male and female – in front of about 300 of their first-year peers at a frosh week event held on Sept. 2.
The students are heard chanting “SMU boys, we like them young. Y is for your sister. O is for oh-so-tight. U is for underage. N is for no consent. G is for grab that ass.”
The video has since been removed from Instagram, a popular social media sharing site, but the incident is having a lasting impact on the school and its students.
University student Alexandria Bennett tried to speak out about the chant last year before she eventually quit as a frosh leader.
Bennett claims she has been booed and even spit at on campus after speaking out about the incident again this year.
Despite some backlash, she says she is also receiving overwhelming support and is happy to see change happening at her school.
“The SMU Women’s Centre has talked about having what they call ConsentFest, but doing a frosh version of it,” she says.
However, just as the school is moving forward with its plans, an editorial has sparked the debate about consent.
In the article, author Mary Bowen suggests men accused of sexual assault may not be entirely to blame, putting some onus on their supposed victims:
“It seems to me our young men may be getting a bad rap. There, I’ve said it: Let the arrows fly. I do not condone rape or sexual assault, but I think the male teens often so accused are not wholly to blame. Miley’s performance at the MTV Video Music Awards and SMU’s chanting ladies convince me of this, though I had my suspicions earlier.”
The director of community education at Halifax’s Avalon Sexual Assault Centre says she is shocked by Bowen’s article.
“It’s sadness and disappointment that, yet again, a mainstream newspaper has allowed a victim-blaming, slut-shaming perspective to be out there as fact, and what we really need to focus on is believing that sexual assault is a serious social issue in Nova Scotia that needs to be addressed,” says Jackie Stevens.
Sarah Dennis, chair and publisher of The Chronicle Herald, says Bowen’s opinion piece is meant to ignite debate and spark conversation but doesn’t represent the view of the newspaper. She also says the paper remains committed to exploring the issue of sexual assault.
“Mary Bowen’s piece doesn’t represent the view of The Chronicle Herald. Our view was expressed on the same day in the same section. We don’t agree with Mary Bowen but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be heard,” says Dennis in a written statement.
Allen Brown, a professor at Mount Saint Vincent University, says the incident has also sparked a debate in his women and social studies class.
“Men learn how to be men with the help of women and vice versa, so we can’t think about this as a ‘it’s the men’s fault’ or ‘it’s the women’s fault,’” he says. “It’s collectively all of our faults.”
The university has since hired Wayne MacKay, the former head of Nova Scotia’s Cyberbullying Task Force, to lead a council created to tackle sexual violence prevention on campus.
“They (Saint Mary’s University) do not accept the kind of conduct that has happened and look forward to changing the culture and making it a safer and more respectful university environment,” says MacKay, who is also a law professor.
The university says MacKay will look at methods to inspire respectful behaviour and a safe learning environment on campus. His group will produce recommendations by the middle of December.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Marie Adsett
