Challenging University “Lad Culture”

The National Union of Students report Hidden Marks, which found that one in seven female students experience a serious physical or sexual assault during their time at college, impelled a call to arms from many feminist academics that sexual violence at universities must be investigated and challenged. The report from the Universities UK taskforce prompted university campaigns, demanding transformative changes to university culture requiring collaboration from activists, students, and university staff. This chapter draws on semistructured interviews with 10 activists at a collegiate university in England, describing their involvement with anti-lad culture campaigns. Thematic analysis draws out the strengths of, and difficulties in, university activism seeking to challenge cultures of sexual violence. In particular, this chapter discusses students’ strategies for transformation and their reflections on the successes of campaigns that oppose lad culture.