To call on UPSU & the AU to ban the Naked Calandar

It was recently discovered that images from UPSU’s & the AU's annual naked calendar have found themselves on to an internet forum which redistributes images from naked calendars for the pleasure and amusement of what appear to be predominantly male viewers. The website in question uses completely sexist language to describe our Women Students and has copies of the calendar since before 2008. However, we believe that the sexist language used is not only present on internet forums such as this one, but in wider society and throughout our union which amounts to sexual harassment in accordance with our union policy. We need to address the issues that having a naked calendar creates in our union especially given that the Hidden Marks report conducted by NUS found that 68% of women students experienced sexual harassment whilst studying and 1 in 7 women students have been the victim of a serious physical of sexual assault. Clearly sexual harassment is on the same scale that leads to serious assault and it is therefore vital that the union addresses how women are portrayed and treated at our union. We are therefore calling for UPSU to accept its responsibility in ensuring the welfare of its students and to take steps ban the Naked Calendar. Furthermore UPSU should also investigate those responsible for the redistribution of these images and if the person should happen to be a student, ensure that that student is disciplined according to union policy. The union should look for further ways of ensuring Women Students participate in a safe environment free from sexual harassment and should look to implementing the Zero Tolerance campaign ran by NUS.