Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge is the most expensive porn film ever made. But it could cost the University of Maryland tens of millions dollars to show it after state lawmakers in Maryland threatened to pull funding for the school if university officials screened the film on campus.
State legislators fast-tracked an amendment to the state budget on April 2 that would deny state dollars to any college or university that offered hardcore pornography for public viewing, according to the University of Maryland's college newspaper, The Diamondback. Lawmakers' justification for the amendment was that since the film would be shown in a state building on a state campus, the state legislature could weigh in on the use of that building. Though university officials pulled the film after the amendment was proposed -- realizing they stood to lose tens of millions of dollars -- student leaders are fighting back in the name of freedom of speech and plan to screen the film despite threats.
It may seem unlikely that such an amendment would be threatened in Pennsylvania if Penn State students decided to screen Pirates II, given that the Undergraduate Student Government regularly showed pornographic movies in the basement of Sparks and the Forum building during the late 1970s and early 1980s (Look it up in the Collegian archives if you don't believe me). But Pennsylvania lawmakers have previously pulled state funding over "immorality" at Penn State. In 2001, the feminist group Womyn's Concerns staged a Sex Faire in the Pollock Rec Room. The Faire came complete with Orgasm Bingo and the "Tent of Consent," which "allowed students to enjoy two minutes of private time behind a hanging sheet after passing through checkpoints explaining the importance of consent," according to Collegian archives.
The Tent of Consent was shut down by administrators, but that wasn't enough for Rep. John Lawless (R-Montgomery), who petitioned the state House of Representatives to decrease Penn State's appropriation. Lawless had earlier sent a letter to then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge complaining about the name of Womyn's Concerns fall art festival, Cuntfest. The state House of Representatives later voted to subtract a small amount of money from Penn State's appropriations, about $9,250, in a symbolic gesture against sexually explicit events.
These examples raise interesting questions about the role of state legislatures in regulating universities. Yes, Penn State and other state universities receive money from state legislatures -- but does accepting that money mean the state has a right to regulate what goes on at the university? I'd argue that it does, at least in part. Most state universities receive a substantial portion of their budget from state appropriations, and it's understood that this money is meant to provide an education for residents. The state legislature is investing in these universities, giving money in exchange for the production of well-educated graduates who will (hopefully) stay in the state and join its workforce. Like any investment, the state should reserve the right to continually monitor its expenditure and pull funds if it feels the reason for investing the money isn't being met. Educational autonomy is valuable, but taking money from the state makes it necessary to play by its rules. Showing a pornographic film isn't part of producing a well-educated workforce.
And if you really think that showing a triple-X film on campus is a necessary part of your college education, there are colleges out there for you. They're called "private," and they don't have to answer to a pesky state legislature and sexually conservative state lawmakers. The reality of attending a public university is that the state is going to have some say in how that university is run. If that means cutting out a few extras, then so be it -- I'd rather have the billions of dollars the Pennsylvania General Assembly gives to Penn State every year than suffer without it.
Margaret Miceli is a junior majoring in English, media studies and political science and is The Daily Collegian's Monday columnist. Her e-mail address is mcm5098@psu.edu.
