Three Amsterdam educational institutions have stopped providing financial and promotional support to student association LANX. This concerns the Vrije Universiteit, the University of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. The reason is an introductory trip to Romania by the Ares dispute, which is affiliated with LANX.
During the trip, which took place at the end of 2022, prospective members of the fraternity had to complete assignments for points. The assignments were divided into different categories, with the category ‘Women and Sex Related’ containing assignments such as ‘arrange a refugee’ and ‘sew a bucket in an alley’, where bucket stands for woman.
In a statement the Vrije Universiteit writes that it is “deeply shocked”. “It is sad that such incidents still occur. A student association should be a safe social safety net for new students to gain important life experience in addition to their studies,” the university writes. In addition to ceasing financial and promotional support, the association is no longer invited to academic events.
The ties between the LANX, one of the largest student associations in Amsterdam, are not completely severed. “We continue to engage with the association to work together on a structural cultural change within their organization,” the university writes. “For us as a university, this is an absolute condition for the continued existence of a bond between LANX and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.”