PEMBROKE JCR are hunting for a group of students who scrawled offensive messages on photos of freshers pinned up in the JCR.
In an email sent out to students last Tuesday, JCR President Chris Bennetts explained that he was forced to take down the photos after upsetting messages were graffitied over them.
“It was to be expected that there would be some jokey amendments made to the photos, this happens every year and is absolutely fine, but some of the comments and drawings on this year’s pictures crossed a line,” he said.
Bennetts added, “It was a very stupid and inconsiderate thing for someone to do and we are investigating who is responsible.”
One Pembroke student, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was disgusted by what had happened. “I heard that people went round and wrote on girls’ pictures stuff like ‘virgin’ and on one guy’s picture they‘d written ‘never seen a clit’,” he said. “For freshers who’ve just arrived in Pembroke, it gives a pretty awful first impression, and those responsible are obviously completely idiotic or just plain malicious.”
Others expressed concern about the impact of the incident on the College’s reputation. “This doesn’t look very good for the College’s image, harassing the freshers like this. If that’d been me I’d have been properly messed up and really upset,” said one second-year.
Another member of the JCR agreed, saying, “It’s not a very Pembroke thing to happen. Whoever did it is clearly an arsehole and should man up and apologise to the College.”
The JCR Committee have said they will not tolerate such behaviour and are trying to encourage a more united student body. In his email to the JCR, Bennetts warned, “This is not something we are prepared to tolerate. A key message coming from the JCR this year is one of inclusion: everybody should feel able to participate in the JCR’s work and activities. The comments posted on the pictures ran contrary to that aim and were totally unacceptable.”
JCR OUSU Rep Chris Thursten said that the culprits’ identities were currently unknown, but that if discovered, they would be disciplined by JCR members. “This is basically people being twattish. We’re trying to get rid of this ‘cliquishness’ and push for a more inclusive college. Some of the things that were written were really nasty. If we find out who it was we’ll be having words with them,” he said.
Fresher photos vandalised
