A statement by the University of Wollongong criticising an issue of student magazine, The Tertangala, has been called “unnecessary” by its coordinator.
UOW released a statement on Thursday that said the ‘debauchery’ issue could distress survivors of sexual harassment and assault.
“The latest edition of the student-led publication Tertangala—dubbed the ‘debauchery issue’— may be potentially offensive and inconsistent with the University’s efforts to create a safe and respectful community on campus,” the statement said.
“UOW accepts no responsibility for this publication.”
Tertangala Coordinator Alec Hall dismissed the claim.
“We have a content warning at the beginning of it (the issue). We also say in the publication that none of the content being published is representative of UOW,” Mr Hall said.
“It’s pretty disingenuous of UOW to make a statement saying that the content could potentially be offensive.
“Because I am someone who has survived sexual assault and sexual harassment, and a lot of people who have contributed to this edition have also.
“(The statement) shows that they’re not going to listen to the true experiences of people at university.”
The issue featured stories about sex, drugs and alcohol among university students.