Anonymous students from Wesley and St John’s colleges at the University of Sydney have told news.com.au of the dangerous and disgusting practices they witnessed as students.
They say that those who attend the colleges, which are located on the University of Sydney grounds in Camperdown, don’t want to discuss what goes on, because they’ll be ostracised by the rest of the college community.
One woman, who moved into Wesley College in 2011, described being pinned to the floor and having wine forcibly poured into her mouth.
Her room was trashed, her belongings were thrown from her balcony, and people left cruel messages for her.
The woman, who goes by the pseudonym ‘Jo’, says O-Week was one of the most disturbing times for her. Students were segregated into groups and given ‘fresher’ names, “which were all incredibly insulting.”
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Jo recalled, “These names included things like ‘fresher mullet’, which [seniors] explained was given to the ugliest fresher girl that year.
Jo’s group was the “nude group,” and as part of their initiation, they were “told to strip down into just their undies.”
“I told the girl team leader that I didn’t feel comfortable taking my bra off but that I would be willing to run in my bra and undies. She then told me to basically suck it up because everyone else was doing it and it was all just a bit of fun.”
At around the same time, a man referred to as ‘Zac’ was attending St John’s college. He echoed Jo’s sentiments about the culture of O-Week.