ANPThe society of the UVSV in Utrecht
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 13:22
A list of photos and personal information of women is being circulated among students in Utrecht. On the list, in the hands of the NOS, the young female students are assessed on their appearance and provided with comments. In the student world, the list is also known as the ‘banga list’.
In the so-called ‘girl presentation year 23’, photos, names and addresses of women are frequently shared who, in the eyes of the makers, are “quite horny”, “nice and raunchy” or “unfortunately occupied by a hockey fanatic”. Not a single woman on the list escapes the comments of the authors.
Behind the list are members of the Utrecht Student Corps (USC). According to the corps, “those responsible have been immediately suspended indefinitely and have been denied participation in the planned ski trip.” The USC said in a statement that it “emphatically distances itself from this abhorrent action”. A final punishment will be considered at a later stage.
The women on the list are members of the Utrecht Female Student Association (UVSV/NVVSU). Its board stated that it “took note with disgust of the PowerPoint presentation in which our members are depicted as objects of desire.”
Dragon list
The presentation also presents a list of ‘dragons’; women who are not to the liking of the authors. Their names, photos and telephone numbers are also shared. The young women on this list are ridiculed for their appearance and weight. Women that the creators of the presentation “don’t want to know anything about” and “would like to keep it that way”.
We can no longer speak of an incident, there is a pattern. This unacceptable behavior must stop.
Marielotte Riedstra, chairman of UVSV/NVVSU
It is not the first time that the student association has been discredited. Less than a year ago, there was also misconduct at USC. Images of students throwing rings around a bottle in a stripper’s butt were shared on social media and in app groups. The rector of USC said at the time that he “strongly” disapproved of the behavior.
The UVSV/NVVSU board does not consider this an incident. “It is yet another case that shows that sexism and macho culture is still the norm in a number of student associations. We can no longer speak of an incident, there is a pattern. This unacceptable behavior must stop,” said chairman Marielotte Riedstra.
Long list of incidents
This pattern is not only visible in Utrecht. The list of incidents at student bodies across the country is long. For example, the so-called ‘banga list’ of the Groningen Vindicat was leaked in 2016. There were 23 women with their details on it. This happened again in 2021, when there were about 100 female students.
The student body in Amsterdam (ASC) is also regularly discredited. In 2022, there was a commotion due to sexist statements made by a number of male members. For example, at a dinner, women were called “whore” and “cum buckets”.
In student associations there is not only structural sexism, but also other transgressive behavior. In 2023 it emerged that the ASC had also had a culture of violence for years. Particularly against new members, who for a period were more or less harshly received in all male fraternities and sororities.
To tackle structural misconduct, almost sixty Utrecht student associations signed a declaration of intent in 2021 in which they spoke out against inappropriate behavior. The statement became drawn up by student union Vidius and also signed by USC.
2024-03-15 12:22:10
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