2 Winter 2018 The Cheese Grater
UCL shirks responsibility for internship from hell A spokesperson for UCL Careers told CG that a number of students A report passed to The Cheese Grater had received a bursary to attend the alleges serious safeguarding failures internship, a process which involved on an internship attended by over UCL ‘verify[ing] that the company is 10 UCL students last summer: the bona fide’ but that all students had Toshin Global English Camp, run by found the internship themselves. Come On Out – Japan (COOJ). However, COOJ held recruitment The report details a host of alleged sessions in UCL teaching facilities, failings, including sexual assault of contradicting UCL’s assertion that it interns by a member of the English has no connection whatsoever with Camp Mentor Association, and an the organisation. These sessions have incident where (non-UCL) interns continued to take place this academic sexually harassed the 13-17 year old year, despite the incidents that took high school students they were teach- place on the programme this summer. ing and continued to have access to the children. UCL’s new Global Internships programme brochure states ‘UCL Careers COOJ also failed to take immediate will discuss your internship proposal action despite reports of racist abuse with you, promote it to UCL students and dangerous accommodation, and receive applications on your bewhich interns ‘feared to be [in] a yaku- half ’ and lists an example internship za-controlled area.’’ The report details as ‘Global English Camp, Japan’. how various female interns were ‘followed home by unknown men,’ and One student who attended the inothers ‘witnessed a dead body being ternship after receiving details from taken away by police’. their faculty, expressed the opinion that students should expect only repA number of students from UCL utable internship providers to be aland other universities staying at the lowed to advertise on campus. Olympic Center found themselves sleeping on blood-stained mattresses No negative feedback? that hadn’t been changed since 1964 in boiling hot, mouldy, vermin-infestA UCL spokesperson told The ed accommodation — all concerns Cheese Grater: ‘A number of our stuwhich were dismissed by COOJ. dents did take part in the internship, which is self-sourced and not run or UCL shifts the blame organised by UCL. At this stage, we have not received any negative feedStudents who attended the pro- back from any of these students. gramme confirmed the contents of the report were true. They described ‘The welfare and wellbeing of stuthe failure of COOJ to offer clear dents at UCL is paramount and we standards of conduct and how their are currently reviewing the report, to woefully inadequate misconduct and ensure we can offer appropriate addisciplinary procedures endangered vice to any future UCL students who children and interns alike. may consider taking part in this or any other internship opportunity.’ Joanne Land
News & Investigations
Society Bitch UCL Men’s Rugby, long the bête noire of your fair columnist, has been disaffiliated from the Union. In June, the club was caught chanting racist songs on the Loop bus, and given one last chance. Last week, the lads tried to organise an initiation for freshers (allegedly forced by the knuckle-dragging poshos on the committee to shave their pubic hair and sign a non-disclosure agreement). But before it was due to happen, one brave whistleblower realised this was A) very stupid and B) very not allowed, and tipped off the Union. Soc Bitch hears the club are preparing an appeal to the Union’s board of trustees. Maybe we haven’t heard the last of the home counties’ favourite sons… Long-time readers of this venerable rag will be familiar with our beloved mascot, William (formerly Billy) Fresher. Over the last few years we’ve followed young Billy from mishap to mishap. He’s practically family. Naturally, then, Soc Bitch’s ears pricked up upon catching wind of a ‘satirical’ piece posted online by Pi Media, titled ‘Billy the Fresher Becomes a Marxist’. After taking a moment to appreciate that someone thinks highly enough of our humble magazine to plagiarise us, she passionately implored Pi to actually come up with some original material. We live in hope.
Questioned on these matters, UCL has not detailed how they verify internship providers, or explained why COOJ continued to recruit at UCL and the programme was listed in the Global Internships brochure.