Last semester, right-wing talk show host Bill O'Reilly subjected Brown to blistering criticism for its alleged sponsorship of Sex Power God, accusing the Uni-versity of using student activity funds to throw a "sex party" on campus.
It's a good thing he didn't get wind of what goes on once a semester at Carnegie Mellon University.
In November, the school drew local media attention when a student group used a university auditorium to screen "Pirates," an XXX-rated tale of sex, treachery and more sex on the high seas. More than 1,000 students turned out for three nighttime showings.
According to Andrew Moore, chair of the CMU Activities Board, which sponsored the event, the tradition of screening one or two adult films a year stretches back more than two decades.
"The goal isn't just to show hardcore porn," Moore said, adding that his group tries to select "silly films" that students can appreciate for their comic value. "People go and laugh at it."
But not everyone was laughing over "Pirates" and its booty-seeking characters. A number of students expressed outrage that student activities funds were being used to screen adult films, and the administration released a statement saying that although the event was "not consistent with our values as a university community, it is not prohibited by university policy."
Much of the criticism came from Carnegie Mellon women's groups. Femi Akintolo, a fresh-man member of one such group, told local Television station KDKA that the school should be held responsible for providing students with pornography.
"If they need to watch that, they need to do that on their own," she said.
Moore dismissed the criticism, pointing out that nobody is forced to attend the screenings and that it would be impossible to let students pick and choose what their activities fees go to support. He added that "many women actually see it as liberating, in some way," and that arguments about pornography being de- meaning to women might not apply to "Pirates," since the film features a female "ringleader" who has power over the men.
On Dec. 11, the university sponsored an on-campus forum to discuss the issue. The event drew 50 to 60 students and was moderated by two Carnegie Mellon professors, including one who specializes in the study of pornographic art.
But while Moore said the discussion was productive, the Activities Board has made no policy changes as a result and plans to show another adult film later this semester.
Usually, the Activities Board does not announce the name of adult films in advance, listing them only as "TBA" on the group's schedule. For "Pirates," however, the Activities Board decided to conduct a promotional blitz, putting up posters that included two nude women gazing at each other longingly.
Funding for the screenings comes out of the Activities Board's annual budget, which in turn comes from the $80 activity fee students must pay each year.
According to Moore, the group has to pay $700 to $1,000 per night for the rights to screen non-adult films, compared to only about $200 for adult films. For "Pirates," the Activities Board was able to obtain the rights for free after the movie's production company, Digital Playground, decided it would make for good publicity. The group also pays for a university police officer to keep watch on the event and for Dippin' Dots or other snacks.
Moore said critics of porn-ography screenings were wrong to call for their elimination.
"It isn't put in their face," he said.
