University freshers’ fairs, many of which will begin next week, are a chance for societies to recruit new members and distribute branded pens and stickers.

But students at Dundee University were last week given a more unusual gift by their student union: a cactus to remind them not to sexually harass and bully their peers.

The plants, which bear the slogan ‘Don’t be a P****’, are designed to raise awareness of the university’s Zero Tolerance policy on sexual harassment and bullying.

The policy was “adopted as a preventative measure against unacceptable behaviours”, the Dundee University Students’ Association said.

It prohibits students asking about each others’ sex life or sexual orientation, making “racist, sexist and disablist” comments and the “exposure of sexual organs”.

Students who could remember three of the rules at the freshers’ fair were given a Zero Tolerance cactus to remind them of the policy in the future.

“We want each cactus taken home to remind students every day that we are the safest nightclub in Dundee and that we have services and processes in place to help them with any issue they might face,” said Joely Nicol, Vice President of Student Welfare.