Amsterdam fraternity suspended over "degrading" situations during hazing

The Amsterdam student association L.A.N.X has suspended one of its fraternities indefinitely. During the Ares fraternity’s hazing last November, “serious abuses” allegedly occurred. The association wrote on its website that, in a conversation with De Groene Amsterdammer, it received a “very inappropriate letter” containing a list of “degrading assignments” that the prospective members of the fraternity had to carry out abroad.

The assignments were divided into categories that ranged from “general” to “women- and sex-related,” wrote L.A.N.X. The latter category included assignments like “date a refugee” and “fuck a bucket in an alley,” where bucket stands for woman, according to the association. During the trip, the first-year students were also not allowed to have any contact with the outside world, and their social media were monitored 24 hours a day.

There were 80 assignments on the list in total. The first-years had to provide visual material for the assignments they had carried out to earn points. At the end of the trip, a ranking was allegedly drawn up, and the five first-years with the fewest points were penalized.

The association said it was “extremely shocked” by the letter. “The letter and the assignments go against everything we stand for as an association.” L.A.N.X. suspended the fraternity in question indefinitely and immediately excluded it from the association’s introductory period. L.A.N.X. also ensured that all the students who participated in the hazing trip contacted a confidential adviser “to talk about their experiences.”

“We also feel devastated and cheated,” said L.A.N.X. “We are taking further steps to ensure this behavior does not happen again.” The association is also looking at possible next steps together with the educational institutions. Earlier this month, L.A.N.X. joined the student-aimed campaign “Are you okay?” The campaign was established by the expertise center for sexuality, Rutgers, to make transgressive behavior a discussable topic.