UC San Diego student government leaders have decided to temporarily ban nudity and sex on a student-run television station, stopping – for now – the controversial and sometimes pornographic Koala TV show, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The debate, which stretched nearly four hours and attracted more than 70 students, shifted in focus from previous discussions. While earlier debates emphasized free speech and censorship, last night's discussion centered on whether student council members were following the will of students or perceived pressure by the administration. university officials had made a subtle threat to crack down on the station if the council didn't vote to tighten restrictions, said the paper.
"There is a long list of examples of when the administration has gotten in the way of the student government," Steve York, a UCSD senior and host of the notorious show, told the newspaper. "We can talk about porn, but this is about student control."
University officials declined to comment about the perceived pressure. Koala TV has been playing intermittently since the spring on UCSD's closed-circuit Student-Run Television Station, which is funded by student fees, according to the report.
The show reignited controversy last Thursday night in an episode described by many as hard-core pornography, the Union Tribune reported. The show, broadcast on campus and over a campus Web site, showed York engaged in sex with an unidentified woman.
York has seen trouble before. In March, his show was pulled off the air when he stripped off his clothes during a live broadcast.
During last night's meeting, council members heard from more than a dozen speakers, eight of them in support of the show and five against. Several students said they knew of many others who were opposed to the show but who hadn't lodged complaints.
According to the story, the council voted 14-8 for the ban, which will expire no later than March 8, 2006. Many who voted for the ban said they felt the show offended a significant number of students.
Student council members have spent months trying to decide how to deal with the show.
Last night's vote followed three previous votes on the issue. One vote last spring directed SRTV to voluntarily stop showing nudity. Two other votes were taken earlier this month. One essentially rejected the ban; the other, taken last weekend, supported the ban.
Dozens of students who showed up at the campus pub Thursday night to watch the 10:30 broadcast cheered repeatedly, the newspaper said.
