It’s the first dance of the school year.  Freshman are pulled onto the dance floor — willingly or not — for a dance with an upperclassmen.  Often, this dancing involves grinding or groping and may or may not be consensual.  It’s called Freshman Safari.

Freshman Safari should not exist.

It reflects a prominent, reprehensible current in contemporary American campus culture that revolves around sexually preying on young, unwitting females. The very notion of a safari conjures up images of raw, un-claimed meat, ready for the taking. Eat or be eaten. It’s neither kind nor respectful to make such brazen, unsolicited advances on girls, especially with the understood intention to never speak to them again. Why are freshman girls subject to this ritual objectification?

Of course there is a range of female positions on the tradition. However, if there’s one commonality among them, it’s the perception that Freshman Safari is or was shocking, regardless of whether they enjoyed it or not.

Nobody thinks freshmen girls are being compared to dignified, free, unique life forces when the term Freshmen Safari is brought up. The connection between young girls and meat is all too clear. If we are to continue referring to ourselves as a progressive, respectful, and above all, intelligent community, then Freshman Safari really must end. It would be hypocritical to say or do otherwise.