UPDATED
Carleton administration has announced it will take control of this fall's Frosh Week away from Carleton's student unions, saying last year's Frosh Week promoted hazing, sexualization and violence.
The administration announced the decision in an e-mail April 9 to the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) and Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA) from Ryan Flannagan, Carleton's director of student affairs. CUSA and RRRA are the student unions responsible for organizing and funding Frosh week.
The decision has been met with protest by the student organizers and volunteers.
"Frosh Week should be run by the students, for the students," said RRRA president Christopher Infantry, who is also CUSA's incoming vice-president (student life).
In the e-mail, Flannagan said the administration would be "assuming all responsibilities for the design and delivery of Frosh orientation 2010," Infantry said.
The university's decision was partly based on a DVD of the 2009 Frosh Week, according to Infantry, who said Flannagan's e-mail stated the week "promoted hazing, male domination, sexualization and violence."
Infantry said the administration was making a generalization of the entire week based on a few select video clips.
"They don't have the insight into the week," Infantry said.
Flannagan said last year's Frosh Week had "limited accountability for volunteers," a "lack of academic focus" and a participation rate under 50 per cent, Infantry said.
Jason MacDonald, Carleton's director of university communications, said that Carleton was one of only three universities in Ontario that had student groups overseeing Frosh Week.
"The intention is still to involve students," MacDonald said.
MacDonald said from a risk-management perspective "it makes better sense" for the university to be managing Frosh and assuming any related risks. He said the administration still planned to work with students and CUSA.
The university does not fund Frosh Week, but grants CUSA and RRRA the right to hold the event on campus, Infantry said. He said although the university was taking control, it still wanted to use CUSA and RRRA's funds and volunteers.
"They're saying we want to take it over, but give us your money and expertise," Infantry said.
Infantry said last year's Frosh Week cost about $135,000. He also noted the administration made the announcement after the organizers had already selected all of the volunteer facilitators.
"They did it very strategically," Infantry said.
“It’s unfair that they believe that we are incapable of running the week in a successful manner,” said co-orientation co-ordinator Ryan Anthony.
“University is not all about academics, it’s about life experience," Anthony said. "They have blown this entirely out of proportion.”
A Facebook group called "Frosh week is run by students for the students. . . let's keep it that way!" had over 320 members within five hours of the administration's e-mail announcement.
“They are being very radical with this decision,” said Graeme Owens, a fourth-year political science student and an active orientation week volunteer for many years. “This is unfair to the volunteers who pour in hundreds of hours of service into the week every year.”
"We're hopeful that people will still want to participate," MacDonald said, adding that he was optimistic volunteers would still want to be involved.
If it is run by the administration, I will not be participating. It is one of the last big student run operations on campus," said would-be facil and first-year public affairs and policy management student Sean Finn.
"The administration might as well run everything at this point!”
More to come.