A program on the University of Connecticut’s closed-circuit television network sparked protests earlier this month from students who complained about the show’s racy content.
“I Did Your Mother,” the title of the late-night call-in show on UCTV, is hosted by two students who discuss sex topics and sometimes have their guests perform humorous acts.
But not everyone at the university is laughing. More than 100 students gathered in the student union on May 3 to protest the show, claiming its content was degrading to women, gays and lesbians and minority groups. A day earlier, The Daily Campus reported that 17 students filed sexual harassment complaints against the show with the dean of students.
“It’s terrible. It’s offensive to everyone who goes here,” senior Cheryl Eureka, who helped organize the rally, told The Associated Press.
Even the hosts — Peter Pietro and Joseph Kingsley — admit the content of the show is gross, but so over the edge that it is humorous.
Fortunately for the student broadcasters, the university has stayed out of the debate.
The campus activities director, Eddie Daniels Jr., said some of the material was distasteful and offensive, but that alone did not warrant disciplinary action.
“I’m not sure I saw anything that was actually a violation of university policy or law,” Daniels told The Hartford Courant. “Though I may disagree with content, the students do have a right to do what they did.”
SPLC View: Bless Mr. Daniel’s heart — and his last quoted line. What a refreshing — and sadly rare — administrative sentiment.