“Uni girls love rape” message found in halls bathroom in University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham has launched an investigation after a message made out of toilet paper reading “uni girls love rape” was left on the floor of a shared bathroom in a halls of residence.

A spokesperson from the University of Nottingham said that the massage was removed as soon as staff were aware of it as, “it does not reflect the values of the university nor the behaviour we expect within our community, and as such we have launched a full investigation into who placed it there.”

The University of Nottingham Feminists were among the first to condemn the action. The president of the society, Queenie Djan, spoke with the BBC, “there have been abundant complaints about sexual harassment at our uni and these are falling on deaf ears. I feel the uni isn’t taking enough steps to combat views like this.”

It does not reflect the values of the university nor the behaviour we expect within our community

—University of Nottingham spokesperson

The university said that they took all allegations seriously and encouraged students to complain about cases in order for such behaviour to be dealt with. The spokesperson stated that: “As misogyny is a hate crime in Nottingham, we also provide information on harassment and hate crime reporting.”

Actions like this is what made Dr. Ann Olivarius, a senior partner at the McAllister Olivarius law firm, look into sexual harassment at universities in the UK. She stated that: “Sexual harassment of students by staff members has reached epidemic levels in British universities.” But what we are seeing is merely the “tip of the iceberg.” This is because approximately one in seven women are seriously sexually harassed or assaulted during their time at university.

The news at Nottingham follows a recent case at Warwick, in which 11 students were suspended for using similar language in a group chat.