Sharking. This is a term most commonly seen in the Facebook comment section of any second year that hits interested on a freshers’ week event. ‘Sharking’ occurs when students from upper years exploit the power imbalance at play between themselves and freshers, an imbalance created by a difference in age, knowledge of Cambridge and university life and, often, sexual experience. Crucially, the targets are students who are made vulnerable by the fact that they have just had their world turned upside down, and are eager to fit in.

Sharking is recognised by JCRs as a form of sexual misconduct, to the extent that Pembroke has included it as a topic in their consent workshops. Considering the implications of the phrase, it’s easy to see why. It frames sexual encounters as an exchange between a predator and a victim – a victim who, by virtue of being hunted, does not need to consent.

Going along with sexual acts that one isn’t comfortable with in an effort to fit in can be incredibly distressing and, although it is often dismissed as trivial, can have longer-lasting effects than regret the morning after. At its core, sharking is just a very ‘Cambridge’ expression of the pervasive sexual pressures and power dynamics at play across society, dressed up to seem “fun” and “traditional” rather than predatory.

In your heart of hearts, you know if you have gone out there with the intention to pull a fresher because you see them as ‘easier to get’ than your peers

The gendered nature of sharking makes this fact clear. Sharking is primarily thought to describe older male ‘sharks’ and female freshers. This is symptomatic of both the social pressure on men to demonstrate an enthusiasm to make advances on women, as well as the expectation that women should want to be seen as attractive, and be accommodating to the desires of men. This is especially prevalent in University societies, where, although there is already a hierarchy of office in place, gender also plays a key part.

It was disappointing to see that when a question was asked about improving fresher retention in a society’s Facebook group, one of the most common pieces of advice was “make sure nobody sharks female freshers”. However, it is untrue to claim that only men can shark women – anyone of any gender can enact or experience sharking, and both the power dynamic and the effects remain largely the same. Victims are still being valued as objects for sexual gain.

Naturally, not all cross-year relationships involve sharking. But let’s be clear: people don’t shark ‘accidentally’, and in your heart of hearts, you know if you have gone out there with the intention to pull a fresher because you see them as ‘easier to get’ than your peers. Furthermore, over the course of conversation with them, you can sense whether there is a power dynamic at play. You can ask yourself: “Am I genuinely engaging with this person as an equal, and is that how they are engaging with me?” This second part is crucial, as in the panicky and high-pressure atmosphere of first term, many freshers do in fact see those getting sharked as “cooler” simply because they know older students. You may have gone in there with the best of intentions, but if you can tell the fresher doesn’t see you as an equal, it’s time to disengage. Sometimes power dynamics arise regardless of one party’s actions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

Though many people joke about sharking (though how funny the jokes are is dubious), there seems to be little thought given to the atmosphere this creates for freshers, especially women who are already told endlessly to be wary on nights out. A deluge of comments about how someone’s friend clearly can’t wait to put the moves on a person framed as a piece of meat, does not create the most welcoming environment.

Instead, it is more likely to make incoming freshers feel worried about how people will act towards them, the sincerity of the relationships they’re forming, and their willingness to accommodate unwanted advances.

To tell the harsh truth, if you need to exploit pre-established power dynamics to pull, you have terrible game. Time for some honest self-evaluation, reflection and work on developing qualities that make you attractive. Ultimately, when it comes down to it, sharking is about power. It is about exploiting a power-dynamic to prey on the vulnerability of new students for one’s own sexual and social gain.