From www.media.www.thegeorgetownindependent- When the University of Maryland decided to screen Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge, the pornographic, XXX-rated film, in early April, it probably had no idea what kind of uproar it was in for.
“Pirates II was in the midst of a national college campus tour,” said Milree Williams, the Director of Communications for the University of Maryland. “Lisa Cunningham, the Director of our university-run student theatre, The Hoff, invited the distributor to bring the movie to campus as part of that national tour.”
He added that the movie “had been publicized as part of the Hoff’s menu of offerings.”
According to The Baltimore Sun, legislators in the Maryland State Senate, including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., threatened to change the state’s budget to punish the university by withdrawing tens of millions of dollars in educational funds if they did not cancel the showing.
“That’s really not what Maryland residents send their young students to college campus for, to view pornography,” said Miller to The Sun.
However, UMD had intended that the film be used for educational purposes. Williams said that “the initial plan devised by the Hoff management was to create an opportunity to discuss many issues related to pornography and responsible decision-making.” By including groups such as Planned Parenthood for a pre-film discussion, the theater hoped to initiate a productive and educational dialogue about issues related to pornography and sexuality.
But, Williams said, “Once the media attention increased, the focus of interest moved from the educational context to the sheer salaciousness of porn. The original intent was lost.”
As a result, the Vice President of Student Affairs succumbed to political pressure and decided to cancel the screening. This led to the formation of a student-led group that decided to show the movie, citing freedom of speech.
“An important distinction to make here: when The Hoff planned to show the film, it was university sponsored. When the students decided to show it, it was a student sponsored event,” said Williams. The response of the politicians “was based on the perception that the original plan was without educational context or merit.”
Students at UMD, on the other hand, were having a harder time accepting the state’s and the university’s abrupt actions.
“It shouldn’t really matter. I don’t think this should have been blown up as much as it was. We are old enough and no one is forcing us to see it. The only people who care are uptight moms,” said Dan Mulhern, a sophomore, who added, “The media just wants a story so they can sell more [papers] and make money.”