Vindicat has indefinitely suspended a member for creating a list of female members, adding ‘shameful remarks’ to each entry.
The Vindicat board saw the list on Friday and immediately took action, quickly tracking down its creator. The member has been banned from the clubhouse at the Grote Markt.
On its website, Vindicat says it takes the case very seriously. The board says it ‘denounces any and all types of harassment’. This list does not contribute to the sense of safety within the student community, says Vindicat rector Wessel Giezen.
They also contacted several female members, offering them help if they needed it. The association will also provide guidance should they want to contact the police. The board has reported the incident to the educational institutes, which they’re obligated to do.
Accreditation
In December 2020, Vindicat lost its accreditation with the UG and Hanze University of Applied Sciences. This means the association is banned from attending official events until September. The board did get to keep their committee grants. According to the Accreditation Committee for Student Organisations, Vindicat had made progress, but not enough.
The committee said there was a lack of proactive policies aimed at making changes. The board has mainly responded after incidents have already taken place, when the committee says they should do more to prevent the incidents from happening in the first place.
Bang list
It’s not the first time that Vindicat has been the topic of controversy because of a so-called bang list. Another list made the rounds in September 2016, called De Oprechte Almanak. It contained the names of more than twenty female first-years, including their picture, phone number, place of residence, and a rating system.
The list referred to them as ‘horny bitches’ and ‘hotties’. Thirteen Vindicat members, who lived in association house Tabu, were suspended.