It’s the second time in a month that Canadian schools have made international news for inappropriate “frosh week” behaviour.
Starting a new school, even a new grade, can be absolutely terrifying, but to add the possibility of getting froshed on top of that? I wouldn’t even want to go to school.
Just the other day, 11 teenagers from the Lanigan Central High School in Lanigan, Saskatchewan were charged after a “freshie week” hazing. They’re charged for paddling grade nine and 10 students with a modified hockey goaltender’s stick at a bush party just outside the town.
Younger students suffered injuries such as severe bruising and one student sustained muscle damage to his leg and other areas that needed medical attention.
Despite the injuries, students are still supporting the hazing, saying that they all went through it. One student, Leland Alexson, remembers getting paddled and brags about how he couldn’t walk for a week afterwards. Despite that fact, he’s still excited to be on the other end of the paddle when he hits grade 12 next year.
This isn’t the only time Canadian frosh week activities have appeared in the news. At the beginning of the month, Saint Mary’s University in Halifax was under fire for promoting rape.
The student body participated in a chant that promoted sex with underage girls without consent. How anybody even came up with this chant and why people started thinking it was okay, I have no idea.
The chant went, “SMU boys, we like them young. Y is for your sister, O is for ‘oh so tight’, U is for underage, N is for no consent, G is for ‘grab that ass.”
As a result, the 80 frosh week leaders and the entire Saint Mary’s University student union executive had been ordered to take a sensitivity training course. The executive was also sent to a conference to learn about the issues of sexual violence and consent.
The student union president has said that the chant will not continue in future frosh weeks.
I’ve been to four schools in my lifetime and have never been a victim of froshing nor have I heard about any controversial froshing going on in my schools so while I’m merely an outsider looking in, I don’t believe froshing is a thing that should continue
Instead of continuing these violent and inappropriate acts, I think we should welcome new students with open arms and spread positive messages. Starting a new school shouldn’t be something we fear, but something we should look excited for.
