The Study Commencement Campaign

From #metoo to #BeNiceNotTræls

There are many names, IT platforms and building numbers to break your head with at the commencement of your studies. Most experienced students will recognize this, from when they started studying. New students are experiencing it as you read. If there is one thing, we in the Student Council wish new and old students take with them from this year’s commencement, it is: Be nice, not ‘træls’

#metoo

When the #metoo campaign rolled in on us a few years ago, it was natural to ask if sexual abuse takes place in universities. It was initially flatly rejected. Many people think that society closed their eyes to a serious problem! It got, among others, the Danish Students’ Union and the Student Council out of their seats. In December 2018, the Danish Students’ Council and Danish Universities therefore published the report ‘Undersøgelse af uønsket seksuel adfærd blandt studerende på de danske universiteter’  (English: ‘Investigation of unwanted sexual behavior among students at Danish universities’) (read the report in Danish here). The report was able to document the nature of sexual abuse in universities – and it was not pretty. Among other things, it turned out that a remarkably large proportion of the incidents had taken place in the commencement – between students.

Cooperation

With the report, it was clear that we have a problem at the Danish universities and thus also at Aarhus University. Of course, we must take this seriously and seek to prevent it, and the commencement is therefore a fitting place to start. That is why we in the Student Council contacted Aarhus University in the spring with our ideas for a campaign to create a good and safe commencement for everyone. The ideas have over the summer become piles of postcards, badges and posters, as well as a cool movie – all with the message ‘Be nice, not træls’, but also messages like ‘Respect everyone’s boundaries’, ‘Be yourself – it’s cool to stand out!’ and ‘Take care of each other’. Hopefully you will meet the messages in the near future – for example in your own study environment, at AU, on the Student Council’s Facebook page or perhaps on the big screens for Denmark’s Biggest Friday-bar and Sports-day.

Many a stream makes a great river

“Is that all?”, you might be thinking- Will we prevent serious sexual abuse with the help of a funny video and a few postcards? Both yes and no. Initiatives have already been initiated – for example, this year’s tutors have been on a course in good behavior at the commencement, and students are now ready on Studenterlinjen (The Students Help Line), where every student can call anonymously to talk about big and small. It is bubbling up with action, and Be nice, not thralls is one of them. Our hope is that this message can contribute to an inclusive study environment and thereby prevent the minor as well as the serious violations. Good commencement for everyone! Remember: Be nice, not træls.