Berkeley sexuality class under fire
By TERRI HARDY Sacramento Bee February 17, 2002
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The University of California at Berkeley has suspended a male sexuality class after the campus newspaper published allegations that students watched their instructor have sex at a strip club and participated in an orgy at an extracurricular party.
The suspension was announced after student instructors of the male sexuality class failed to attend a meeting with a university official Friday, said Marie Felde, a spokeswoman for Berkeley. An investigation into the course has been launched.
"Those sorts of activities are not part of the approved course curriculum," Felde said. "We need to find out what the situation is. All we have now is a report in a student newspaper."
A female sexuality course is also under review, Felde said. Instructors named in Friday's story by the Daily Californian could not be reached for comment.
The courses were offered under the university's "democratic education" or "de-cal" program, which are sponsored but not funded by the university. They are organized and run by student instructors and can be taken for credit toward graduation. Other such courses are Blackjack, where students are taught how to count cards, and Copwatch, which advises students "how to safely and effectively assert their rights when interacting with police."
Christy Kovacs, a Berkeley freshman who was enrolled in the male sexuality course last semester for two units, said in an interview that some students in the class were involved in an orgy at a party. The party was held to introduce students from other sections of the course and was not mandatory, Kovacs said.
Some partygoers also took Polaroid pictures of their genitalia, to show that their bodies were not disgusting, Kovacs said. The shots were viewed at the party in a "respectful way," she said.
"It was just a fun, harmless get-together," Kovacs said. "Anything weird that did go on was kind of behind closed doors, and no one really knew about it."
Another student, Jessica McMahon, told the Daily Californian that a group of students in the male sexuality class chose as their final project a trip to a gay strip club. Students watched instructors strip and have sex, the newspaper reported.
Kovacs said her class also took an optional trip to the Garden of Eden strip club. There, a member of the group who was not a student or instructor stripped on stage, she said.
"They didn't even take off all their clothes, and there was no sex," Kovacs said. "It was a class bonding experience."
Kovacs said the class was a positive experience and should not be portrayed in a "scandalous, negative light."
De-cal courses must have a written course proposal, department chair approval and sponsorship by a faculty member, said Janet Gilmore, a Berkeley spokeswoman. The campus' Web site said the faculty chair sponsor is ultimately responsible for content and grades.
Caren Kaplan, chairwoman of the Woman's Studies Department and sponsor of the sexuality classes, had reviewed the course description for the male sexuality course but was not provided with a detailed course syllabus, said David Dowall, chairman of Berkeley's Academic Senate, which represents faculty members.
Kaplan could not be reached for comment. In an interview with the Daily Californian, Kaplan said she offers advice to student instructors but "doesn't police the content" of the courses.
The female sexuality course curriculum is posted on the campus Web site and includes **** star Nina Hartley as a guest speaker and a "possible trip to a strip club." Other topics in the female sexuality course are women's health issues, violence against women and body image.
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=EDU-SEXCLASS-02-17-02&cat=LS
By TERRI HARDY Sacramento Bee February 17, 2002
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The University of California at Berkeley has suspended a male sexuality class after the campus newspaper published allegations that students watched their instructor have sex at a strip club and participated in an orgy at an extracurricular party.
The suspension was announced after student instructors of the male sexuality class failed to attend a meeting with a university official Friday, said Marie Felde, a spokeswoman for Berkeley. An investigation into the course has been launched.
"Those sorts of activities are not part of the approved course curriculum," Felde said. "We need to find out what the situation is. All we have now is a report in a student newspaper."
A female sexuality course is also under review, Felde said. Instructors named in Friday's story by the Daily Californian could not be reached for comment.
The courses were offered under the university's "democratic education" or "de-cal" program, which are sponsored but not funded by the university. They are organized and run by student instructors and can be taken for credit toward graduation. Other such courses are Blackjack, where students are taught how to count cards, and Copwatch, which advises students "how to safely and effectively assert their rights when interacting with police."
Christy Kovacs, a Berkeley freshman who was enrolled in the male sexuality course last semester for two units, said in an interview that some students in the class were involved in an orgy at a party. The party was held to introduce students from other sections of the course and was not mandatory, Kovacs said.
Some partygoers also took Polaroid pictures of their genitalia, to show that their bodies were not disgusting, Kovacs said. The shots were viewed at the party in a "respectful way," she said.
"It was just a fun, harmless get-together," Kovacs said. "Anything weird that did go on was kind of behind closed doors, and no one really knew about it."
Another student, Jessica McMahon, told the Daily Californian that a group of students in the male sexuality class chose as their final project a trip to a gay strip club. Students watched instructors strip and have sex, the newspaper reported.
Kovacs said her class also took an optional trip to the Garden of Eden strip club. There, a member of the group who was not a student or instructor stripped on stage, she said.
"They didn't even take off all their clothes, and there was no sex," Kovacs said. "It was a class bonding experience."
Kovacs said the class was a positive experience and should not be portrayed in a "scandalous, negative light."
De-cal courses must have a written course proposal, department chair approval and sponsorship by a faculty member, said Janet Gilmore, a Berkeley spokeswoman. The campus' Web site said the faculty chair sponsor is ultimately responsible for content and grades.
Caren Kaplan, chairwoman of the Woman's Studies Department and sponsor of the sexuality classes, had reviewed the course description for the male sexuality course but was not provided with a detailed course syllabus, said David Dowall, chairman of Berkeley's Academic Senate, which represents faculty members.
Kaplan could not be reached for comment. In an interview with the Daily Californian, Kaplan said she offers advice to student instructors but "doesn't police the content" of the courses.
The female sexuality course curriculum is posted on the campus Web site and includes **** star Nina Hartley as a guest speaker and a "possible trip to a strip club." Other topics in the female sexuality course are women's health issues, violence against women and body image.
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=EDU-SEXCLASS-02-17-02&cat=LS
