Revised porn policy on the table

   
   
   
   
   By Niraj S. Desai 
   
   The Academic Council appears to support a new MIT Policy on
   Pornography that would prohibit the showing of pornographic films in
   Institute common areas, according to a letter from Faculty Chair Henry
   D. Jacoby and Associate Provost S. Jay Keyser. But the proposed policy
   is tentative, Jacoby said, and is still "very much up for discussion."
   
   
   The proposal states that, except for educational or disciplinary
   purposes, "no pornographic films shall be shown in common areas" --
   including classrooms, lecture halls, corridors, and dormitory common
   rooms. Films shown by students in their own rooms would not be
   affected. 
   
   The policy is aimed at films that depict the degradation or abuse of
   individuals, Jacoby said. For example, films meeting this definition
   might present subjects as enjoying rape or humiliation, or as sexual
   objects to be physically abused. A policy on such films is needed,
   according to the proposal, because "everyone who studies or works here
   has a right to enter and use without being subjected to harassment,
   intimidation, abuse, or degradation." 
   
   The Office of the Dean for Student Affairs and the Committee on
   Discipline would handle complaints under the policy. The two groups
   would determine whether the policy was violated, and what sanctions
   would be appropriate. 
   
   
   
   Council seeks feedback 
   
   
   
   MIT's Academic Council, which is composed of the Institute's top
   academic officials, has discussed the pornography proposal and appears
   to support it, according to Jacoby and Keyser. But before acting, the
   council "would like to hear comments and suggestions from faculty,
   students and staff." 
   
   Jacoby and Keyser have been circulating a draft copy of the proposal,
   which is the product of a year's worth of deliberation, among student
   and faculty groups. The current draft has been reviewed by the Faculty
   Committee for Student Affairs and the Faculty Policy Committee, and
   reflects those discussions. The proposal has also been discussed with
   the Graduate Student Council and sent to Undergraduate Association
   President Paul Antico '91, Jacoby said. 
   
   The full faculty is scheduled to discuss the draft proposal at its
   Nov. 15 meeting. 
   
   Last week, Jacoby and Keyser sent letters to MIT housemasters and to
   Neal H. Dorow, ODSA advisor to independent living groups, urging them
   to "circulate the proposal widely among students, to inform them of
   the proposal, stimulate discussion, and seek their reactions and
   suggestions." 
   
   
   
   Current policy has 
   
   no blanket ban 
   
   
   
   The current pornography policy does not prohibit the use of MIT
   facilities for showing pornographic films, but it does regulate the
   time, place, and manner in which they may be shown. A group wishing to
   show an unrated or X-rated film must have an Institute committee
   review the film in advance. If the film does not meet the standards of
   the screening committee, it may not be shown on registration day of
   either term, during Residence/Orientation Week, or in Kresge
   Auditorium. Also, the sponsoring group must give six weeks advance
   notice before the showing. 
   
   The proposed policy differs from the present one, Jacoby said, in that
   it limits its scope to films that use sexually explicit material to
   dehumanize or abuse subjects, rather than films which are merely
   X-rated or unrated. Jacoby said he did not foresee a problem in
   deciding what films meet the policy's criteria. 
   
   The draft also does not include a provision for prior restraint,
   Jacoby said. Groups or individuals wanting to show films would not be
   required to have them screened in advance. Only after a complaint had
   been filed would the ODSA or COD involve themselves in a case. 
   
   In November 1987, the Committee on Discipline ruled unanimously that
   the present pornography policy constituted "an excessive restraint on
   freedom of expression at MIT." The COD's ruling came in a case
   involving Adam L. Dershowitz '89, who intentionally violated the
   policy in February 1987. The proposed policy is, in part, an attempt
   to deal with the COD's criticisms of the present policy, Jacoby said. 
   
   
----
Copyright 1989 by The Tech. All rights reserved.
This story was published on  Tuesday,  October 31, 1989.
Volume 109, Number 47
The story was printed on page  1.
This article may be freely distributed electronically,
provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes
this notice, but may not be reprinted without the
express written permission of The Tech.  Write to
archive@the-tech.mit.edu for additional details.