JOINING STUDENT organizations is considered a vital part of one’s college journey. With students hoping to hone their skills and form newfound friendships, the student-organization culture in Ateneo continues to thrive. Amid the heavy pressures of University life, students join these groups to find lifelong support systems.

However, recent accounts of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during organization events have spotlighted a seemingly overlooked issue in these student groups. Amid the anger surrounding these stories, the discussion on safe spaces within student organizations sparks the question of upholding the balance between professionalism and fun among these circles.

On the search for a support system

During her freshman year in 2018, fourth year John Gokongwei School of Management student Kim* looked forward to joining student organizations and finding the ​​support system she needed to navigate college life. Studying in a difficult course, she thought that she needed all the help she could get from people who understood her.

However, during one organization’s orientation at the start of the year, she was shocked to hear highly inappropriate jokes from the officers throughout the program. A few weeks later, Kim attended an off-campus welcoming party and participated in a game where her fellow organization members had to pump balloons with an air pump right between a man’s legs.

Throughout the rest of her stay in the organization, she was persistently asked invasive questions. Since her fellow members seemed unfazed by the invasion of personal boundaries, she realized that this was simply the norm within LS organizations. Thus, Kim never filed any reports.

More than three years later, incidents like hers still occur within the organizational community. Given the Ateneo’s shift to the online setup, Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA-M) President Kichee Pinera attests that even more reports have begun to surface.

She affirms, “It has become apparent to a lot of people that certain things or certain practices we’ve done in the past aren’t as safe as we thought it was.”

Thus, with the rising number of sexual misconduct reports being posted online, students organizations face renewed pressure to address the deep-seated problem of harassment in their circles—especially as year-ending bonding events loom ahead.

Shaping safer spaces

Pinera explains that upholding safe spaces in student organizations is essential since members serve as the group’s foundation. “You can have the principles, you can have the advocacy all you want, but if you don’t take care of those people who are passionate enough to serve those advocacies… [then] I don’t think an org could survive,” she shares.

When cases of sexual misconduct arise within student groups, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) states that student organizations should not investigate sexual misconduct cases to avoid further escalation. Instead, the University’s Office of Human Resource Management and Organization Development and the Committee on Decorum and Investigation are tasked to handle the investigations.

Meanwhile, student survivors are encouraged to approach the Sanggunian Commission on Anti-Sexual Misconduct and Violence (CASMV) for peer-level support. They may also directly report the incident to the LS Gender Hub, the University’s main office dedicated to providing support services to student survivors. Unfortunately, these support mechanisms had not yet been established at the time of Kim’s incident in 2018.

As an added effort to uphold safe spaces within student organizations today, OSA held an orientation entitled OSCARs: Onboarding Session on the Code and Rules for Student Organizations last September 17. The in-depth discussion on the University’s Code of Decorum on Sexual Harassment emphasized the need to abide by the prescribed courses of action to maintain safety within organizations.

According to OSA Coordinator for Gender and Development Neil Reyes, one Executive Board member from every student group under OSA was required to attend. He adds that, in the following years, the onboarding session will become a requirement for organization registration in the LS.

Despite preventive measures in place to uphold safe spaces, there has been an influx of posts on the ADMU Freedom Wall about sexual misconduct within student organizations. With that, COA-M, the League of Independent Organizations (LIONS), and the Sanggunian released a statement last October 17 affirming a coordinated response in ensuring safe spaces within student organizations. LIONS Coordinator Alexa Derpo shares that student leaders have yet to release an update following the post but assures that preventive measures such as workshops against misconduct are in the works.

Reyes adds that the OSA is actively collaborating with the LS Gender Hub to craft the necessary policies.

“If student organizations are not safe, then we feel like we have not done our job properly. If going into student organizations would look terrifying or would look unsafe to students, then that would be a problem for us because, ultimately, OSA is a formation office,” he shares in a mix of English and Filipino.

However, the introduction of clear-cut guidelines and avenues to report sexual misconduct cases does not always mean students can easily come forward; in a culture rampant with victim-blaming and judgment, cases often remain unreported.

An exercise in trust

Because of the victim-blaming culture, Reyes shares that reports are primarily made on anonymous platforms such as ADMU Freedom Wall. “I think it’s the fear of not receiving the proper help that student victims expect from the University, from the offices, and not just from OSA,” he says.

To trust the LS offices with such vulnerable experiences is yet another obstacle among student victims to overcome, according to Pinera. Given the isolating nature of the online setting, Reyes adds that it may be difficult to ensure that each student is aware of the support CASMV and the LS Gender Hub can provide.

Derpo and Pinera agree that it is not enough for students to be aware of the protocols, but they must also feel safe and comfortable enough to share deeply personal experiences. Alongside their work with CASMV and LS Gender Hub, both Derpo and Pinera emphasize their commitment to fostering cultures where members can safely and comfortably come forward with sexual misconduct cases. 

While the officers are mandated to uphold the guidelines and policies, Reyes points out that keeping each organization member in check is a collective effort. He shares that balancing professionalism and fun within these organizations requires careful discernment and assessment on what actions or conversations are appropriate within these settings. To do so, Reyes hopes that organization officers can familiarize themselves with different topics about gender sensitivity.

On the path to moving forward

As the community takes its steps moving forward from these issues, Kim expresses her desire for student organizations to discuss cultivating safe spaces in general assemblies.

“We can also share it during the [Freshman Orientation Seminar], and events with facilitators and hosts. They could integrate how they could cultivate a safe space for the participants in that event,” she says.

In line with this, Derpo and LIONS Community Affairs Director Yuki Abion stress that the efforts to solve this major issue should be banked on collaboration. COA-M and LIONS highlight the importance of relying on first responders to give victims the assistance they need. Along with that, Pinera states that COA-M is looking into holding seminars as a way to incorporate practices that ensure safe spaces in student organizations.

On this note, Reyes reiterates the importance of being aware of the appropriate actions done during the appropriate times: “We need to uphold that [student organizations] should still be a safe space for everyone. We hear the complaints, [and] we are working with [different] student groups to address the complaints.”

*Editor’s Note: The name of an interviewee was changed to protect their identity and privacy.