“It is clear that the culture of our association was rotten”, the board of the A.S.C./A.V.S.V. writes in a letter to its members. The association offers its apologies in the letter, both to members and to parents.

The association commissioned a law firm to conduct an investigation and has shared the report’s recommendations with Trouw. The rest will remain behind closed doors, apparently to protect the privacy of the interviewees.

Limping

One of the conclusions is that from 2017 to 2021 physical violence took place in all the male hazing rituals. This could result in the victims suffering a limp, bruising or a concussion.

All the member societies (even the female ones, writes Trouw) were involved in activities with sexual overtones, increasing the risk of inappropriate behaviour. For instance, some candidate members had to kiss one another or re-enact a dating show in which they had to rate each other’s appearance. New members were also put at risk through sleep deprivation, bad food and a lack of hygiene.

The problems are probably not yet a thing of the past. “We are in the midst of a culture change and it is too early to say that we have wiped the slate clean”, board chair Sebastiaan Klaver tells Trouw.

Disrepute

Last summer, the association came into disrepute when a video clip emerged in which one of the board members used foul language about women. The association board chair at that time – a woman – resigned.

Violence is a problem at other associations as well. For example, a member of Minerva got into the news last year. The Rotterdamsch Studenten Corps misbehaved at a club of the Delftsch Studenten Corps. Vindicat in Groningen got bad press for many years too. Incidents of this kind have led to subsidies and grants for board members being withdrawn.

The boards of such associations say that they are undergoing a change of culture. At least on paper, they are now doing everything they can to counter inappropriate behaviour.