Three first year students in Amsterdam were hospitalised last month after taking part in initiation rituals to join a student society, broadcaster NOS reports.

The students, part of a group of 12, were told to swim in the Amsterdam canals and sleep between garbage as part of the rites to join a sub-division, or dispuut, of the Amsterdam Studenten Corps.

One is still in hospital with an intestinal infection three weeks later. Another developed a serious lung infection while a third sprained his ankle while jumping into the water.

ASC chief Boris Bekkering told NOS that the dispuut had broken the rules and the society’s board is considering whether all its members should be suspended. ‘It is important that we get to the bottom of what happened,’ he said.

No alcohol

However, in no cases was alcohol or violence involved, Bekkering said. Nor had any of the participants decided against joining the dispuut.

Last week it emerged that a first year student going through initiation rights to join the Groningen student society Vindicat was hospitalised with a serious brain injury after being hit on the head.

That incident led the university and city council to call for a ban on initiation rituals.