DCU Society 'Suspended' After Students Urged To 'Strip' And 'Shift' At EGM
One of DCU's societies, the Accounting & Finance society, have been suspended by the college following 'inappropriate conduct' at their EGM.
I am not an accountant, I have never claimed to be an accountant, as such I will not claim to be privy to the typical goings on at a large general meeting of accountants. However, I would feel quite certain stating that requesting attendees partake in what can only be described as some kind of low-grade, sexually-themed Hunger Games is beyond the remit of usual accounting conferences.
The Accounting & Finance society's EGM saw those who had put themselves forward as candidates to become first-year representatives asked to engage in a bizarre series of challenges. Per DCU's student newspaper, The College View, the first task set for the students was to separate into pairs and for each pair to place a balloon between their hips. The last pair to pop their balloon were eliminated.
Things escalated from there as the remaining students were then split into two groups; one consisting of people who were single, the other of students who were in a relationship. Those who were single were then told to shift another person in their group to avoid elimination.
Those in relationships were provided a slightly different task and were variously asked to break up with their partner over the phone; call up their partners or a family member and say something provocative or to tell their partner that they'd cheated on them.
As quoted in the College View, many students were evidently made to feel incredibly uncomfortable throughout these tasks. However many people seemed to grudgingly carry out the humiliating tasks being assigned to them due, in part to peer pressure, and to a mystery tour ticket, worth €160, being offered to whoever was elected.
After this second round, there were three remaining pairs of students who were then tasked with singing a different song while stripping. During one of these performances a student fell off a table while stripping to his underwear.
In light of what transpired at the EGM the Clubs & Societies board elected to suspend the society from all activities for he remainder of the first semester. In addition to these it declared that the entire committee of the society must attend a 'respect and dignity workshop'.
The society released this statement on their Facebook page.
H/T: College View