Last October 16, 2023, the student organization UP Babaylan denounced the UP Junior Marketing Association (JMA) for subjecting members to a list of tasks “to shame” others.
Their statement reads, “Recently, a set of photos containing the list of dares that are part of UP JMA’s Comm Wars circulated online. Tasks meant to humiliate and malign others, with some targeting UP jeepney drivers, their own grandparents, and even their fellow members.”
The organization highlighted that they do not condone this type of behavior especially if they claim that they champion having a safe space. They ended their statement by saying, “No spaces are safe if the people who claim to work toward it do not abide by the principles it entails. We demand that UP JMA exercise accountability to the highest degree. DO BETTER.”
This statement comes after some social media users posted the lists of tasks that some of the members of the said org have to do for its “annual CommWars” every anniversary celebration. A lot of the tasks are somewhat comparable with “dares” or “challenges” that are required by fraternities.
Social media users took to the comment section to share their thoughts and express their disappointment with the situation.
In response to the released statement of UP Babaylan, UP JMA has released their own statement clarifying things.
They emphasized that “These dares are part of our internal committee wars which take place every May. We want to clarify that applicants and members alike were not and will never be required to participate in the dares. Steps were made to ensure that consent is given at every level and both the completion and non-completion of dares have zero bearing on applicant’s grades.”
“In hindsight, we understand the harmful dynamics present in releasing the list of dares in an organizational environment that values competition. We understand that the very act of releasing the list of dares as part of the competition encourages their participation,” they added.
“We are committed to learning from this experience. We are enacting material reforms internally to ensure that our foremost commitment to cultivating safe spaces for members and applicants is manifest in all our activities moving forward. We will do better,” they ended their statement.
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