Cardiff SU suspends Men’s Cricket Society after ‘disgusting’ initiations at social

Cardiff University’s Men’s Cricket Society has been suspended indefinitely by the Students’ Union (SU) after allegations of “disgusting” initiation rituals.

The suspension relates to incidents that allegedly occurred at a sports social, where freshers were called “worthless” and one student was said to have his head “pushed” into a toilet bowl.

Other allegations include students being pressured to eat raw onions and down pints of alcohol.

Training sessions are no longer being held, and there have been claims that the red and yellow blazers which form the society’s uniform are also banned. The society has said it is appalled by the allegations and is investigating them, but has yet to find evidence that they are true.

The SU has since confirmed to The Cardiff Tab that the society’s activities have been suspended whilst investigations are carried out, and that it does not tolerate such behaviour.

The claims came to light following reports from other societies that were also holding socials in Misfits on the same night.

A Cardiff University student who had been at the club told The Cardiff Tab the type of alleged activities first year recruits were made to do by returning society members, which reportedly involved degrading acts and instances of “bullying”. Another eyewitness described it as “like watching a form of human torture”.

Outside the venue, one eyewitness, Fin*, claimed first years were forced to “eat raw onions” and to get down on their knees in cricket whites without any shoes. Fin confirmed the floor was “soaking wet and it stank”, with new members “barefoot” and “having to put wet socks in their mouths”.

There were further reports that older students also threw pints on them.

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Members of the society allegedly pressured first year students to down pints of cider and beer, whilst they were “gagging” and throwing up. This was thought to be from the mix of raw onions and alcohol.

Returning members have been accused of making degrading comments to new recruits, such as “you’re worthless”, “fatty”, and “you’re a piece of sh*t”, as they were allegedly persuaded to pay for drinks for older students.

Inside Misfits, another student, Billie*, claimed that while a first year was throwing up in the toilet, an older member of the society came in and “pushed” his head into the toilet bowl. Billie told The Cardiff Tab: “One of the boys was sick and one of the others in the society pushed his head down [the toilet bowl] and held it”.

Misfits told The Cardiff Tab it would never tolerate bullying in its venue, and was unaware of such behaviour, as this was not reported by staff or students on the day.

Misfits said it would never tolerate bullying in its venue

A Cardiff University spokesperson said the university adopts a zero-tolerance approach to initiations and is working closely with the union to investigate the claims.

Other students who were also at Misfits on the night reported that members “couldn’t even talk to girls” and would be shouted at if they did.

Fin said: “One of my friends was in the way of some guy. He said, ‘excuse me’, and then he had to take his shoes and socks off and then put his socks in his mouth.” A timer was then reportedly set for 10 minutes.

“They weren’t enjoying it and obviously part of being a society means you’re going to have to do stuff that you wouldn’t normally do, but it was just a bit too far. Like the floor was soaking wet and it stank.

“They were barefoot having to put their wet socks in their mouths and they couldn’t even talk to girls and if they did, they were being shouted at.”

Speaking about the supposed events, Fin said the behaviour was “really weird”. He continued: “Some of the guys in cricket did look quite uncomfortable, like, gagging at their drinks.

After the social had ended, witnesses and other Cardiff Uni students reported cups scattered on the street outside the venue, alongside onions, socks, and sick.

Another Cardiff University student, Alex*, said he met a group of men from the cricket society at the Snow Sports’ social on Wednesday (8th October) who spoke of being “very disappointed” by the fact they couldn’t have socials or wear their blazers.

Alex added that members of the society were “not allowed to wear their blazers” at the Chepstow races this past Sunday.

The student described the alleged activities at the social on October 1st as “kind of disgusting” and “lowkey bullying”, and feels as though the social should not have taken place in a public space.

Cardiff Students’ Union has suspended the Men’s Cricket Society from activities

Despite the alleged incidents, Fin explained that he doesn’t believe the SU should ban the society, instead calling its behaviour “unnecessary”. He told The Cardiff Tab: “On the other hand, I don’t think they deserve to be banned fully, and they’re not even allowed to train. But, hopefully they’ll learn from this and realise that that behaviour is just unnecessary.”

Misfits said: “We are not aware of any behaviour such as ‘forcing a first year’s head down the toilet of Misfits and flushing it for approximately 10 seconds’ and do not condone such behaviour in any way.

“This was not brought to our attention on the day and there was not any behaviour or issues flagged by customers or staff on the day.

“Welfare of customers and staff members is a huge focus for us and we spend a lot of time as a team making sure people are safe and looked after so they can enjoy their night out in a safe manner.

“We wholeheartedly believe in inclusivity and essentially named out brand Misfits because we didn’t want anyone to feel out of place and we wanted the customer to know that everyone is welcome.

“We would never allow any type of bullying to go on in the venue.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Cardiff University Men’s Cricket Club and have been nothing but friendly and respectful to our staff and the venue up to this point.”

A Cardiff Students’ Union spokesperson said: “We are aware of concerns that have been raised regarding the behaviour of members of the Men’s Cricket Club and are working closely with the committee to review the allegations. The club’s activities have been suspended while investigations are carried out.

“Cardiff Students’ Union does not tolerate intimidating or degrading behaviour of any kind. We expect all student clubs and societies to uphold our values of respect and inclusion at all times.

“Each year, Cardiff Students’ Union supports and trains hundreds of student group leaders who make a positive contribution to university life through safe, inclusive and engaging activities. Where any activity falls below the standards expected, we take such matters seriously and address them in line with our disciplinary procedures.”

A Cardiff University spokesperson said they condemn the alleged behaviour and urge students with any information to come forward and report it to the university.

The spokesperson continued: “We have a zero-tolerance approach towards ‘initiations’. Such behaviours will not be tolerated. We work closely with our Students’ Union to investigate and will take appropriate action against those found to be involved.”

The university also directed students towards an article sent out at the start of the academic year, which outlines its approach to initiations.

It reads: “These activities are inappropriate, dangerous and contravene our student conduct expectations, which require all students to treat each other with dignity and respect. As a student of Cardiff University, you are a representative of the university, both on and off campus. Your actions reflect not only on yourself but also on the wider student community.

“Individuals who organise, facilitate, or permit initiations to take place will be subject to disciplinary action by the Students’ Union and/or the university. This will impact on participation in activity for the individuals involved and for the club and can also impact your studies

“As a member of the university community, you are expected to act in accordance with the university’s standards of conduct and behaviour.

“As set out in our Student Conduct Procedure you must behave in a way that is respectful of everyone in the university community including members of staff and other students. The expectations for your conduct apply anywhere and at any time but is particularly important in the local community around Cardiff, when engaging with or representing your club or society on or off the sports field. You are also expected to be honest, respecting the safety and wellbeing of others on or off university premises; and to behave so that others do not feel they are being harassed.

“Organising or participating in initiations are at odds with our expectations of student conduct and are subject to action under the Student Conduct Procedure.”

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*Names have been changed for anonymity