CW: This article contains mentions of hazing and sexual assault in residential colleges.
Honi Soit can reveal that throughout 2022, St John’s College residents circulated naked photographs of student athletes to a Facebook group.
The Facebook group, entitled “Johns 2022”, contains 296 members from across the college, and features at least ten photographs of residents completely undressed. The posts’ captions label the subjects as athletes for the College, and the photographs appear to have been staged in the changerooms of the College’s sporting facilities. Honi has seen the photographs. To protect the subjects, we have chosen not to publish the photographs in any form.
An unnamed source told Honi that the College’s sport teams take the photographs before games. They also alleged that on a weekly basis, residents “cover the security cameras” and hold nude wrestling events: they “force guys to wear undies,” and “if you rip them you win.”
This report follows the appointment of a new Rector, Dr Mark Schembri, in July 2022. Schembri formerly served as the Deputy Head of College at St Paul’s College. It is alleged that under his direction, St John’s College attempted to cancel previously planned events for Mardi Gras and WorldPride earlier this year. This also follows the College’s 2018 decision to withhold a review into claims of hazing and sexual assault from the public.
St John’s College did not respond to Honi’s request for comment.
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