http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050330/NEWS0802/50330070

      By MARCUS WEISGERBER
      Democrat Staff Writer
      mweisgerber{at}fosters.com


DURHAM - University of New Hampshire administrators are investigating
whether a female student activist had her civil rights violated in a
student-run publication.

The accusations come just days after a male student journalist working for a
different student publication was denied access to a feminist rally. The two
incidents are not believed related.

UNH student Whitney Williams, a member of the Feminist Action League who
writes a weekly column for the UNH student newspaper The New Hampshire
claims her name was used in a pornographic and sexually threatening comment
in the article published in the March 21 issue of Main Street Magazine
titled "UNH sex survey, it's lewd material." Williams received a death
threat in the fall after writing a column condemning fraternities for sexual
violence.

In the article listed under the "Most likely to get us nasty letters award"
category, an unnamed 19-year-old heterosexual male when asked "what
celebrity he most would like to have sex with?" responded with Williams'
name. He then added "My (male genitalia) is huge."

According to Main Street Magazine Editor Joe Gilbert, the portion of the
quote referring to the male's genitals was the male's response to a separate
question, unrelated to the celebrity question.

The quote was used to "make fun of (the male)" and show his insecurity,
Gilbert said.

Male and female magazine editors jointly made the decision to run the
comment in the magazine, Gilbert said knowing the FAL would have a
"knee-jerk reaction" to the comment.

"They reacted just as we perceived," Gilbert said.

According to the article, 193 people responded to the survey.

The university is investigating the magazine reference. "People are testing
the limits of freedom of speech and opinions on both sides," said Anne
Lawing, vice president for student affairs.

Lawing's office is investigating whether Williams' rights have been violated
as well as the responsibility and role of student leaders on campus.

UNH spokesperson Kim Billings also issued a statement on the magazine this
morning. "We are outraged by the way in which individual students have been
singled out in student publications and at student-sponsored events on
sexuality, gender and violence. These actions are damaging not just to the
targeted individuals, but also to our community. Offensive speech tests our
values. Some of those values are civility, respect for others and the free
exchange of ideas, even when we may not agree with those ideas."

UNH plans to work on "issues of civility and respect in the matters of
sexuality, gender and violence." A major focus of the efforts will be on
education and open and respectful dialogue, Billings noted.

"As we did with student behavior and responsible celebrations, we will reach
out to groups who may benefit from learning more about the issues
surrounding free speech," Billings said. This is not an issue that will be
or should be solved by the administration alone. All members of our
community must take responsibility for their words and their actions, so
that no one individual or group feels targeted or threatened."

UNH President Ann Weaver Hart was unavailable for comment about the issue
this morning.

Sexual content

of the magazine

In a letter to the student newspaper March 28, The President's Committee on
Violence Against Women on Campus spoke out against the Williams comment
calling it "potentially threatening." They also spoke against the
"sexist
tone and content" of the magazine as a whole.

"The Main Street story writers and its editor apparently failed to see how
publishing this comment that singles out and names a member of our community
from an anonymous source would make many women feel as if sex was a tool to
frighten and silence them if they stepped out of line," the letter said.
"Such poor editorial judgments are both irresponsible and shameful."

Accompanying the "sex survey" article are bar graphs using varying sized
sexual aids to depict percentage responses for the questions "how often do
you have sex" and "how often do you masturbate?"

Another article showed pictures of two unclothed female Barbie dolls put in
sexual positions alongside a review of the book "The Straight Girl's Guide
to Sleeping with Chicks."



A funding issue

A portion of every student's tuition pays for Main Street Magazine, which is
funded by the student activity fee. During a meeting Tuesday afternoon,
members of the Student Activity Fee Council, which includes business
managers for activity fee organizations, student senators and staff
advisors, discussed whether the council should continue paying for the
magazine.

Many students said the magazine had the right to publish the quote under the
First Amendment but nearly all students who spoke in the session disagreed
with the editor's choice to run the article. A couple vocally said student
money should not be used to fund the publication.

"I don't think that student funding should be used for something like
that,"
said Caitlin Milone, a student senator.

The issue is that "some students are paying for a service that offends
 them," said Kyle LaFountain, another student senator.

"This is wrong what (the male) said (in the magazine),"
LaFountain said. "We
have to come out and say this is wrong."

The magazine made a mistake using William's name in a sexual manner, which
is a violation of student conduct, said David Zamansky, assistant director
of the Memorial Union Building.

"The way this was said in the article by law was sexual harassment,"
Zamansky said. "The faculty senate is in an uproar over this."

The magazine has consulted with two lawyers who said the printing of the
names is not sexual harassment and that no action can be taken against the
publication, according to Alicia Hey, director of the Student Press
Organization, Main Street Magazine's parent organization. If action is taken
by the university, the organization can then sue the school, she said.

"We regret that people feel uncomfortable," Hey said.

Both Hey and Gilbert feel Williams has elevated herself to celebrity status
on campus through her column.

She is in the public eye. She is a public figure," Gilbert said.

However Curt Kenoyer, coordinator of Student Organization Services, said the
comment put Williams' safety in jeopardy, and student organizations "need to
take the high ground."

"For (the Student Activity Fee Council) just to dismiss this is pretty
bad,"
Kenoyer said.

Administrators, editors of the magazine and Student Activity Fee Council
members are scheduled to meet later in the week to discuss the issue.



Another

feminist incident

UNH senior David Huffman, a journalist for a small, privately funded,
conservative student publication, "Common Sense," said he was
removed from a
Feminist Action League "Patriarchy Slam" held in the MUB on March 10.
Huffman said at the rally women wore scissors around their necks, read poems
and sang songs about castrating rapists.

Huffman said he was asked to leave because he is a man, but FAL members said
it was because he is a journalist. MUB officials found the Peace and Justice
League in violation of MUB policy and received a warning for reserving a
room for FAL, an unrecognized student organization. The Peace and Justice
League, a recognized organization, did not advertise on flyers posed around
campus that it was a sponsor of the event.

Lawing said her office has been interviewing people who attended the event.
A judiciary meeting between Huffman and administrators is scheduled for
Thursday.



What FAL wants

The Feminist Action League has called for the resignations of the editors
and writers of Main Street Magazine, according to sophomore FAL member
Nicole Whalen, who spoke to Foster's on Williams' behalf. The organization
is also calling for the removal of the magazine's funding.

"I don't want to be paying for this slander," Whalen said.

FAL also wants a violence-against-women class restored at the university. It
was cut last semester because of funding issues, Whalen said.

The magazine does plan to apologize, Hey said.

Meanwhile, Gilbert claims the administration has no power to remove him from
his position. "They have no legal power," he said. "This
entire thing has
been blown way out of proportion."

FAL and other feminist groups have planned a speakout from 12:40 to 2 p.m.
next Tuesday on the Thompson Hall lawn.



--
Men are everywhere that matters!





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