The Sabbatical team has announced that Friday club nights at Club 601 will change its name from P.U.L.L. back to The Bop, the name given to Friday nights in the past years.

The change comes after a string of complaints from the student body about the sexually inappropriate nature of the name P.U.L.L. and the culture of harassment it reflects. The Association LGBT Officer, , Feminist Society Coordinator, SHAG Week Convenor, Member for Gender Equality, Wellbeing Officer and many others all raised concerns about the name ‘P.U.L.L.’, believing that its sexual undertones were inappropriate and went against the inclusive, harassment-free environment that the Union promotes. A petition to change the name got over 420 signatures, and in the comments the Member for Gender Equality says the name P.U.L.L. undermines and contradicts recent consent campaigns and the new sexual misconduct policy recently implemented by the University.

Director of Events and Services, Chris MacRae, was very supportive of the desire for the name to be changed, claiming that it was positive to see students fighting for something that they believed in and that the sabbatical team always aims to respond to the concerns of the student body. The change of name comes in the face of a push by the University and the Sabbatical Team to raise awareness about consent and sexual misconduct. The University initiative StAnd Together has its first instalment with the Got Consent? campaign which organises workshops in halls dispelling myths surrounding consent and encouraging students to become active bystanders within our community.

The reversion of Friday club nights back to The Bop shows that the Union is committed to perpetrating a zero tolerance stance to anything believed by the student body to be harassing or inappropriate. It is positive to see that the Sabbatical team is readily responding to desires for change from the student body, and is committed to reflecting the Union’s strict stance on sexual misconduct. The Bop’s return is eagerly welcomed!

Check out the petition here!