Expelled for wearing a miniskirt… in Brazil
A 20-year-old tourism student has been expelled from a Sao Paulo university after chaos broke out on campus when she turned up in a short dress.
The photos above show Geisy Arruda sitting in class at Bandeirante University (Uniban) on October 22. So outraged by her outfit, her classmates took photos of her to post online. When she left the class, a group of boys started following and taunting her. One student is heard shouting "Shout at her people!" The situation escalated to such a point that the police were called to escort her from the premises in a professor's white coat. As she's being led out, the crowd chants "Puta!" (whore) repeatedly. The incident was filmed by several students on mobile phones; who then posted the footage on YouTube.
Amateur images compiled by TV IG.
On November 8 Arruda's university placed a public notice (below) in Sunday newspapers. Entitled "Educational Responsibility", the ad explained that Geisy Arruda had been expelled for disrespecting "ethical principles, academic dignity and morality". It also said that the university would be temporarily suspending some of the students seen heckling the 20-year-old in the videos.
The decision has caused outrage across the country. Both the national student union and Brazil's top official for women's policy, Nilcea Freire, have publicly condemned it.
UPDATE (11.11.09 - 9.30am): Arruda was officially readmitted to the university in a statement made on Nov. 10 by vice chancellor Ellis Brown. The location of her class will have to be changed however to make her return "more relaxed", he said.
"People think the whole country is super liberal but it's not at all the case in Sao Paulo state"
Raphael Garcia studies international relations at Pontifícia Universidade Católica in São Paulo.
Bandeirante University (Uniban) is what's considered a ‘cheap' university in Brazil. The teaching standards are poor and the students are often from the lower classes, which are ultra conservative.
On top of that, class consciousness is a big problem here. UniBan was rated in the lowest ten of the country's 167 biggest unis last year. The students are probably a bit embarrassed about going there. With all that frustration teamed with their attachment to old fashioned ideals, this was an explosion waiting to happen.
Personally I think the uni heads thought they'd profit from the affair. Otherwise what was the point in placing an ad in all sorts of newspapers. If you hadn't heard of Uniban before, you will have now! It's unacceptable publicity. The heads of the university should be criminally prosecuted for turning a victim of abuse into a scapegoat - and then capitalising on it."
Comments
The what about the Girls on the Carnabal in Rio
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 12/11/2009 - 13:38.Nov 12, 2009
What shall be done is boicot the Carnabal in Rio and the Sambodrome
to honored Geisy Arruda
There are more Putas than in any burdel. For sure where gay and transvesties which provoque the incident
sao paulo 2016
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 12/11/2009 - 04:01.aqnd this city will have olympic games in 2016 ??????? GOOD LUCKKKKKK YOU WILL NEED IT
Brazilians gone wild
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 20:08.I am surprised that Brazilian's would act like a bunch of idiots as if never have seen a girl with a sexy dress. I for one think its sexy and maybe not appropriate to be worn in a school setting. But the scandal provoked by it was amazing. I bet the people shouting puta would had loved to be noticed by a sexy lady like that. What is this world coming to ??? I challenge all the women of Brazil to stand up for their human rights and organize a day of protest by simply wearing a mini skirt. And make it a yearly tradition.
"I challenge all the women
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 12/11/2009 - 15:36."I challenge all the women of Brazil to stand up for their human rights and organize a day of protest by simply wearing a mini skirt. And make it a yearly tradition".
As a man, I say that finally someone has a great idea for how women should protest! Women shouldn't only protest by wearing mini skirts, they should protest by wearing bikini swim suites, and make this a daily tradition! LOL!
Raphael Garcia is fake.
Submitted by Real Brazilian (not verified) on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 15:17.Raphael Garcia is fake.
illegal immigrant
Illegal Immigrant? Me? Are
Submitted by Raphael Garcia on Thu, 12/11/2009 - 16:16.Illegal Immigrant? Me? Are you insane?
The girl isn't the problem
Submitted by From Brazil (not verified) on Tue, 10/11/2009 - 14:24.This is pure hypocrisy!
Our beaches, carnival, parties, etc, there always women wearing little pieces of clothing and we never act towards those women in such wild behavior. We like them; we respect them.
On the contrary to what the above student Rafael Garcia said, there's no conservacionism in Sao Paulo as he had mentioned. If so, it wold not exist "Passeata Gay" every year with millions of people going to watch this parade, on Paulista Avenue.
The problem are with the students of this university and not with that girl.
In the next day, in this very university ( UNIBAN ), students beat up on a woman who tried to run her car as people were in front of university in a public manifestation. They took her out of car and didn't care about her little daughter! They just acted like insane people!
It scares me! Those very students, are the future of Brazil!
What is this university creating? Savage people?
They should re-think their way of education.
oh no!! i don't think so!
Submitted by Gislaine K. (not verified) on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 20:01.oh no!! i don't think so! she wanted attention!to blow up our eyes? she had it!! let's continue the poor game that life is!!!so meanless!!
so is it when we do not have anymore any kind of value that we are normal people, socialise? you call them savage people?no! i call them worthy people!
WELL DONE!!!WELL DONE!!
Mate, there are some
Submitted by Raphael Garcia on Tue, 10/11/2009 - 17:07.Mate, there are some conservationism in the "paulista" society. Comparing to Rio, considering only the question of "moral, family" and such we do have a more conservative society in São Paulo state. 'Course, we can't compare to northeast but we can compare to the rest of the southeast and south of Brasil.
Even at the Gay Parede we have displays of homophobia and there's huge cases of violence and violations of Gay and Lesbians in São Paulo. The Parade is an answer to the conservatism.
Anyway, the problem is not only the criminals of UniBan but much of the surrounding society that supported the violence against Geisy - just turn on the TV or talk to someone on the streets.
We are open-minded to many things, but not to all things. We're very conservative depending on the situation and enviroment.
But, sure, the problem is not with the girl, Geisy. It doesn't even matter if she was provoking - like said the UniBan staff - but the reaction, the criminal reaction to nothing, the attempt to beat and even rape her. It's unacceptable even in a more conservative enviroment or place.
Pure non-sense
Submitted by David Silva (not verified) on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:06.The homophobia mentioned by Raphael is not the rule, but the exception. And that's the same with Geisy's case.
It seems to me that the issue is not a Sao Paulo problem as a whole, but an isolated case of ignorance in a low-level school. And it starts with the school's principal, lawyer and public relations staff, who acused Geisy of almost stripping out her clothes in the hallways, which was not true.
The school's lawyer, in an TV interview, expressly said that other studends could see her intimate parts at certain point in time. As a lawyer, before making such a statement, he should have been more careful and had evidence to prove what he said. But he had none as eventually made public. Similar official statements about Geisy's behavior have been made by the school.
So, if the school bahaves in such a manner, making false accusations on the student's behavior without any evidence, what then to expect from students who 'study' there?