Recently, 10 Penn State students were featured in this month's Playboy's "Girls of the Big Ten" issue, but their appearance is raising questions about their decision to pose for the magazine and the effects it might have on the university.

Peggy Lorah, director of the Center for Women Students, voiced serious concerns about the implication of features such as "Girls of the Big Ten" has on society.

"I'm not going to fault the women; they have the right to make the choices they make," she said. "I fault the culture for looking at women for what they look like, rather than who they are. ... We see many women who are injured by the culture that Playboy promotes."

But Adam Stallard (sophomore-chemical engineering) said he saw no problem with Penn State women being affiliated with the magazine.

"I think it brings publicity to Penn State. ... I don't think it's going to bring down the university," he said. "[This is] something out of the ordinary that we get to enjoy."

While some students like Stallard said, "publicity is publicity," others, like Anne Grochmal (junior-advertising and psychology), said they were concerned about negative images that might develop from Playboy publicity.

"I don't think the alumni could be proud of that," she said. "Many of them work for prestigious corporations, and this could [make Penn State appear] poorly."

Monica Antonazzo (senior-women's studies), a member of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, said that while she does not necessarily agree with the women, posing for a magazine like Playboy is ultimately a personal decision.

"I think it's obviously anybody's choice to make stupid decisions [to either appear in or purchase Playboy]," she said.

However, Antonazzo said she is also concerned about the effect the issue might have on the university's reputation.

"I, personally, find it embarrassing that this is something our school is going to be known for," she said. "I doubt that Penn State's reputation as a 'Playboy school' will look good to future employers."

University spokesman Bill Mahon said because the women posed for the magazine on their own time and away from campus, he does not feel there will be a negative impact on the university.

"This was a personal thing for the individuals who did it; ... there is really no impact on Penn State," he said.

He added that all students are able to do what they want in their free time.

"We have 83,000 students here," he said. "Most do impressive kinds of things, ... some do other things."

Most students did not seem to be concerned about the effect of the women's affiliation with the university. Dan Fichter, of the Class of 2001, said he thought the opportunity was a good one for the women, as well as the university.

"It's tasteful, and it's an individual's choice. ... We all represent Penn State in one way or another, in all of our actions," he said.

Jillian Hundley (sophomore-animal bioscience) also said she thought posing for the pictures was not a problem, as long as it is the woman's decision.

"If they're comfortable doing it, it's their choice; ... as long as it's tastefully done, I don't see a problem," she said.

Jamie Connor (junior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) also said she had no problem with the women's decision to pose.

"They're old enough to make that decision," she said. "[The affiliation] really doesn't matter -- people are going to form their own opinions, whether [they] are students or not."