Contrition trumps sexism cover-ups

This article was published in The Sydney Morning Herald 22 September 2010

A case study in what not to do when confronted with a culture of sexism.

First, some history. In 1977, a group of St Paul's College students at Sydney University held an awards ceremony in which a student who raped a woman was applauded for committing "the animal act of the year". Then last year St Paul's made headlines again after a Herald journalist, Ruth Pollard, exposed a "Pro Rape/Anti Consent" Facebook group run by students at the college.

And last week, they received the Gold Ernie - a shaming award for extreme misogyny. The awards organiser, Yvette Andrews, says St Paul's was the clear winner. ''There was a deep agreement that misogyny and sexism is an entrenched and protected part of college culture," she says.

While the scandal has made the students more media cautious, it does not seem to have affected their attitudes towards women. Earlier this year, a number of St Paul's students planned a musical dance revue number titled Always look on the bright side of rape. The number was canned for fear that it might invite media coverage.