These are adults that go to this institution and for the most part the feeling has always been that these people can govern themselves by the rule of society," one University of Calgary spokesman said
Jen Gerson | January 5, 2015
CALGARY — The University of Calgary is tightening up on the names used by intramural teams after complaints about sexist labels appearing on T-shirts and jerseys such as “Cunning Stunts” and “Frigid Whore.”
A student committee been given the job of policing the hundreds of teams of students and alumni who square off against other amateur players in sports ranging from basketball to dodge ball.
Each team pays a fee to the school to cover administration and facility rentals, and they had, until recently, been allowed to pick their own names.
They include: for flag football teams, “Let Me See Your TDs” and “Beats By Ray” (a reference to the National Football League running back Ray Rice who was filmed knocking his fiancée unconscious in an elevator). Volleyball teams have been called “Just The Tip” and “Muffin Stuffers,” while in bubble soccer there was “Ball Touchers.”
Some observers see the team name choices as perpetuating a “rape culture,” while others believe they are harmless puns, if somewhat off-colour.
Now, the university says it will highlight the potentially offensive names and send them to the elected student advisory board, which can nix anything offside.
‘We don’t actually believe we’re [students’] parents and it is a bit of a slippery slope’
“There’s never been any process like that in place in the university,” said Don McSwiney, a spokesman for the kinesiology faculty.
“We don’t actually believe we’re [students’] parents and it is a bit of a slippery slope. These are adults that go to this institution and for the most part the feeling has always been that these people can govern themselves by the rule of society.”
When students first complained in October, he said, the administration was moved by the argument the sexist team names could discourage some from participating in intramural sports.
“Changing the name should not diminish your ability to enjoy competition. But it will make it easier for others to enjoy it in the spirit of inclusiveness,” he said.
In addition, students themselves will decide what’s acceptable.
“[There isn’t] a giant bureaucracy at work with time to go through all this,” Mr. McSwiney said.
“We’re going to do a quick scan of the names that go through, some of the innuendoes … we may not get it.”
‘Do you really want to be someone who comes across as promoting violence against women as a fun thing?’
Lexi Naroski, the arts representative on the student union, said she went to the university administration after several students approached her with their concerns.
“Some of the names had perpetrated rape culture, I guess you could say,” she said.
“In an academic environment where students are supposed to be progressing and learning about this — women’s’ studies are taught here — this is so inappropriate.”
Ms. Naroski added she’s received countless “bullying” and “belittling” comments via social media since the tale of the team names broke.
“I kind of welcome the debate because I feel that if an issue like this is creating as much controversy as this has been, obviously a lot more learning needs to be done,” she said.
“It’s a good thing that this is still being raised.”
Not all students have reacted to the directive well. A Facebook group imploring the university to allow all team names in intramural sports has garnered support from 300 people.
The group is casting the issue as one of freedom of thought and speech, and sees the university’s actions as censorship.
“Censorship of thought and speech is unacceptable in a free society such as ours. We believe you can say what you want. And it is your right to offend or be offended.”
It added team names were being dismissed seemingly arbitrarily. Those that referred to drugs and alcohol were taken off the student union’s website, it said.
“It is clear that there is no real standard aside from the ever subjective emotional state of the reader.”
Melanie Bethune, a second-year undergraduate and humour editor of student newspaper the Gauntlet, which wrote about the name controversy last month, said she believes objectors to the new directive were in the minority.
“A lot of people suffer from serious domestic abuse. [A] respectful, decent human being shouldn’t trivialize those sorts of issues,” she said.
Noting that intramural leagues at other schools have encountered the same kinds of problems, Mr. McSwiney said he hoped just raising awareness would encourage the athletes to be more sensitive to the issue.
“[We’re asking them] is this something you’re aiming for? To make people feel bad? Do you really want to be someone who comes across as promoting violence against women as a fun thing?” he asked.
National Post
• Email: jgerson@nationalpost.com
Commentary by the Ottawa Mens Centre
While Ghomeshi gets charged on a "she said" decades earlier, if a male
complains of woman attempting to strangle him, the Police devote incredible
resources into protecting the Female Perpetrator.
The Ottawa Police recently on a 911 Call found a full time father, with serious
large purple bruises, blood and scratch marks around his neck. He called after
she made a serious attempt to kill him by grabbing his hair, pulling him down on
to a couch and then putting a military special forces style , expert strangle
hold around his neck.
The officers relayed that to the Detective, one Peter Van Der Zander, who
fabricated evidence in his report that her attempt to strangle the full time
father must have been a "reflex action" that he "provoked her" .
Two very large problems for Det. Van Der Zander and the Corrupt Ottawa Police
who effectively promote domestic violence, murder and abuse of fathers.
First, he claimed she denied pulling his hair and choking him. That showed he
was told of that by the attending officers, two evidence fabricating cops who
wanted to help a violent woman.
Then he claimed a range of statements made by the father, that HE HEARD on a
digital audio recording illegally seized from the father, in fact it was turned
off after and during the police arrival.
The Ottawa Police then failed to comply with a series of court orders to provide
disclosure of the video.
When that video was obtained it showed that the Rotten Cop, Det. Peter Van Der
Zander never asked her the question of if she pulled his hair and if she tried
to choke him.
Van Der Zander was removed from the file. Six months later the Ottawa Police
sent the file and had it approved for charges by an Ottawa Crown Attorney in a
very embarrassing decision for Det. Van Der Zander.
Then the CAS of Ottawa directly or indirectly had the Crown in Charge to Stay
the charges.
Justice Paul Kane reviewed that evidence and commented that it was a "Gender
Problem" with the Ottawa Police, that Van Der Zander gave her "a Free Pass" that
would not be given to a male, and if it had been the other gender, charges would
have been automatic and it would have gone automatically to trial.
This is a classic story of how vulnerable full time fathers are to domestic
violence, and if they call Police, Rotten cops like Det. Peter Van Der Zander
will Fabricate Evidence to take children from full time fathers, male victims of
domestic violence and give them to the most violent females.
Thats all part of Ontario's Fas.cist program of Gende Superiority.
Ottawa Mens Centre
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When it comes to women with a pathological hatred of men, the very worst gravitate to the positions of Absolute Power.