RSC members punished for misconduct at Delft fraternity, one member disbarred, forty suspended

In a statement on its website, the student fraternity says that the suspensions and community service are not the end of the story for the board. “The misconduct of these members does not reflect the culture of the R.S.C./R.V.S.V. In the short term, the Senate will be holding up a mirror to all its members that things can and must be done differently.”

Armed with bats and fireworks, on 19 November the Rotterdam fraternity raided the Delft fraternity. The reason: Delft first year students had stolen a white armchair from the board in Rotterdam. A window, crockery and furniture were broken, and one Delft fraternity member who was assaulted during the raid is still suffering physical problems, according to news site Delta.

Misconduct

All the members involved are being punished for their misconduct, the Rotterdam fraternity announced on its website. They are being suspended for a period from 8 to 52 weeks. One of them has been disbarred, seven other members may not hold a position in the society for a year, and one of them never again.

They must also do community service with a social organisation in Rotterdam or Delft and pay for the damage caused.

The suspended members also include three members of the Senate who were involved in the incident. They had already resigned their board positions in December.

'Culture change'

In December, the Executive Board at EUR decided to exclude the fraternity from all official events for the rest of the academic year.

In its statement, the senate of the fraternity says it is working on a ‘culture change in our society’. “The incident at the D.S.C. has shown that a more structural, internal dialogue between members is necessary in our society. Only then can we jointly implement a different culture, without excesses,” says the senate of RSC/RVSV.

Unacceptable behaviour

RSC/RVSV in the news

• ‘RSC/RVSV violated code of conduct’
• ‘RSC/RVSV has become more moderate’
• RSC/RVSV no longer welcome at official ceremonies this academic year
• RSC/RVSV wants to become more inclusive: ‘The aim is to make more space for coming out of the closet in the society’

This is not the first time that the society says it will work on changing the internal culture. After an incident during the hazing in 2017, RSC/RVSV was also excluded from support and involvement in the university for a time. A year later, the oldest fraternity in Rotterdam returned to favour at the university after an extensive internal examination.