No news out of Cambridge goes unnoticed. As one of the world's most prestigious universities, Harvard's actions are inevitably subject to scrutiny. Most recently, Harvard raised eyebrows for adding a sex magazine to its arsenal of notable publications. The school's Committee on College Life (CCL)-comprised of students, faculty and administrators-approved the idea for this magazine on Feb. 10. The publication would not only feature articles about sexual issues, but also include nude pictures of Harvard undergraduates.

But shortly after national and even world media caught wind of the idea, Harvard officials began to backpedal.

The proposed magazine, titled H Bomb, would contain fiction, prose, features, poetry, artwork, humor and photography related to sex, according to the Harvard undergraduates who conceived the idea, sophomore Katharina Cieplak-von Baldegg and senior Camilla Hrdy. The two were quoted in the Harvard Crimson on Feb. 12 saying that their wish was to create "a literary arts magazine about sex and sexual issues at Harvard."

The media took a hold of the story after a Crimson reporter asked Baldegg if her magazine could be considered pornography.

"You can call it anything you like," Baldegg responded. Reporters did. The Times of London ran the headline "Naked Ambition," while the Boston Herald proclaimed "Nudie Mag" and the New York Daily News declared "Mag will Turn 'em Crimson." Even Hustler picked up the story.

Addressing these responses, Baldegg and Hrdy spoke out in a letter to the editor in the Crimson, published on Feb. 12.

"H Bomb is not porn," they wrote. "Students will appear nude in photography portions of the magazine, but that is not the main focus." Their stated goal in this letter is to "create a forum for an honest discussion of sex on campus."

Harvard officials reacted quickly to the media attention, holding a conference with the editors to ensure that the magazine would not include pornography and that none of the photographs would be taken inside campus buildings. Generally, after a campus organization is approved by the CCL, the founders can apply for grant money to fund their project, but Harvard officials issued a statement in this case that "no funds from Harvard College would be provided for this publication."



Erotica magazines

If printed, the magazine will feature students of all sexual orientations and backgrounds, Baldegg and Hrdy said. In an interview with The Washington Post, the founders said that their hope is for intelligent, constructive, frisky, honest and comprehensive dialogue about sexuality. They said they plan to include nude pictures of both male and female students, hoping not to marginalize or offend anyone.

All students posing must be over 18 years of age and must be students at Harvard. Serving as faculty adviser is Prof. Mark Hauser of the psychology department, who, according to the Crimson, has earned the moniker of "Sex" among his students. The first issue of the bi-annual magazine is scheduled for release during commencement in May, provided that Baldegg and Hrdy secure funds.

During original deliberations on H Bomb, the CCL looked at Squirm, an erotica publication from Vassar College. CCL members expressed concerns about nudity, but then got "past the fear of porn," Hrdy told the Crimson. The CCL approved the magazine as an official Harvard publication, 12 to zero with two abstentions.

"We are aware of the fact that some segments of the population would find the contents distasteful," Associate Dean Judith H. Kidd told the Associated Press before the media backlash occurred. "However, the committee considered this to be an issue of freedom of speech."

A college sex magazine is not unprecedented. Swarthmore's Untouchables and Smith's Smithiegirls (an online publication) both existed as short-lived sex publications at their respective schools. Vassar's Squirm: The Art of Campus Sex has received the most success, still running since its inception in 1999. Squirm, self-proclaimed as a magazine of "smut and sensibility," is composed of "60 pages that include 36 photos of male and female students in various poses, in campus buildings or on the grounds," according to the Washington Post.



A Brandeis sex magazine?

Brandeis has many outlets for open discussion about sex. Student Sexuality and Information Services (SSIS), for one, was created specifically for confidential, honest discussion. Tristin Klein '04, member of SSIS, said that she likes the concept of a sex magazine.

"People would be interested," she said. "It would be a really good venue, expressing taboo subjects that aren't freely discussed."

SSIS is not unanimously popular, Klein noted. "We provide counseling and we are doing a service to the community, yet some are offended by what we do," she said. "There are people who need our help, and others that don't like that we're here."

"As long as everyone partaking consents to be in the magazine, I see no problem with an open forum," Klein said. She conjectured that a small controversy might break out because "Brandeis students get riled up easily," but nothing on the worldwide scale of the situation at Harvard.

Yet there is a fine line between a magazine with sexual discussion and a porn magazine. Maggie Frye '04, president of the Brandeis Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance FMLA, said she believes that "this magazine could go too far and could be demeaning to women and men that are a part of it." Still, she said that a sex magazine at Brandeis could have "the potential to be creative and a good experience for the people creating it."

Frye said she does not see this type of magazine as merely porn. "Pornography has no redeeming social value," she explained, "whereas [the Harvard magazine] is talking about being artistic and promoting intellectual discussion."

Julia Moskowitz '06, a sophomore and member of the Women's Resource Center, agreed.

"There is always a fine line between an artistic representation of women and one that objectifies them," she said. But she also said she is open to the idea of H Bomb. She said she would hope that the magazine would not solely be for heterosexual males. "The main issue is about what social trends are being encouraged and discouraged by the magazine."

The main issue for Jeffrey Fowler '06 is decency. Fowler is an editor of the Concord Bridge, the conservative-libertarianon magazine at Brandeis. "The libertarian in me says that [the magazine] is private conduct, consensual and doesn't hurt anybody," he noted. "The conservative in me wonders about the standards we are setting, and the impact on morality."

Fowler said he doesn't see the need for this type of publication on a college campus.

"The old myths of STDs and unsafe sex are gone, resources are available, we have SSIS, and people know how to be responsible," he said. "College life is saturated with sexuality, and there is an adequate amount of discussion, so there is no need for a publication."



Sexuality and free speech on campus

Indeed, there is little question about the presence of sexuality on campuses. Publications aren't the only venues of sexual discussion. Past Brandeis events have included Porn n' Chicken night, a sex toy sale and workshop, a workshop titled "How to Pleasure a Woman" and showings of feminist porn movies. According to USA Today, over 650 colleges and universities, including Brandeis, will present The Vagina Monologues this year.

Certain colleges have also hosted more graphic presentations. Brown University's Queer Alliance staged Sex Power God, an event with silhouettes of couples engaging in oral sex in campus buildings, according to the Post. Oberlin College annually holds "Safer Sex Night," which includes demonstrations of Sado-Masochism.

While many regard explicit publications or behavior as protected by the first amendment, they may not be.

Professor Michael Socolow (AMST), who mentioned that he does not consider himself an expert on this matter, said, "private colleges are not required to financially support student publications that may be at odds with their culture."

"Catholic colleges," he used as an example, "cannot be compelled to support pro-choice periodicals, and, here at Brandeis, the administration cannot be forced to support the publication of anti-Semitic material."

"The issue of sexuality and obscenity is more complex," he noted. "[But] Harvard is certainly not legally required to support the publication of H Bomb." Socolow went on to explain that this is not a freedom of speech issue, because Harvard is a private university. "This is a question of Harvard's financial support, not whether students are legally entitled to produce this magazine," he said.

Of course, the United States Supreme Court has made judgments about the First Amendment and pornography. Miller v. California of 1973 stands as the predominant ruling on obscenity and free speech. The case asked the difference between the obscene (hard core depictions of sexual acts) and the indecent or pornographic (arousing, but not graphic).

The Court asked three questions to determine if material is obscene. Would the work appeal to shameful interest, applying the standards of the community? Does the work depict sex in an offensive way? Does the work lack serious artistic or political value? If all three answers are yes, then the work does not fall within the protections of the First Amendment, and universities are permitted to regulate it on campus.



Passing and funding a sex magazine

Yet, unless a lawsuit becomes involved, the chartering of a Brandeis publication is not decided by a court, but by the Union Senate. Ultimately, the decision lies with the senators' interpretation of the Merit Clause, Article VIII, Section II, of the Student Union Constitution, which states, "Senators may base their votes on their own assessment of the club's merit."

Senator for the Class of 2004 Gabe Reif said he would expect an interesting debate if such a magazine were presented for Senate approval. "Each person takes [the merit clause] a different way when thinking about chartering clubs," he said.

Reif said that the administration or alumni might exert pressure not to charter the magazine.

"We are an independent body, but working under a university," he said. He added, though, that the Senate "often makes decisions opposed to administrative beliefs."

He predicted that "[the magazine] would probably get passed." But, as the Harvard situation has proved, even if the publication is chartered, the University could still debate whether to fund it.

Where does the administration fall on this issue? Stephanie Grimes, associate director of student activities, said she believes that free speech is entwined with the policies and vision of the university.

"Whether a publication would be accepted here at Brandeis really is based on student opinion," she commented. "Students have the right to express what they want to see on this campus."

However, funding the magazine is a different story. "I don't believe that the Brandeis administration would support the allocation of funds toward a magazine like this," Grimes said.

With regards to politically sensitive issues like a sex magazine, public funds can certainly be scrutinized and are subject to disagreement. Simply, some will not approve of their money going to a sex magazine. That's where the Finance Board (F-Board) enters the picture.

Finance Board Chairman Mark Schlangel '05 explained the process by which publications apply for funds at Brandeis. A magazine is first chartered by the Senate and can then apply for money from the F-Board. "I am sure that such a hot issue [would] spark discussion among F-Board members," he said.

All students pay a Student Activity Fee and this money is funneled to clubs. Thus the funds would effectively come from the entire student body.

Even though some members of the community might not support allocating funds to this type of magazine, Schlangel noted that "it is impossible to find a club that all students would be comfortable having their money fund."

"When deciding allocations, the Board members must ignore personal biases and treat all chartered clubs equally, assessing each request only as it relates to the club and its constitutional purpose," Schlangel said. He pointed to the fact that the F-board has allocated money to sex workshops in the past.



Intent and outrage

Perhaps the outrage following the H Bomb was partially due to recent events. Sex and censorship have been in the news, with the Janet Jackson incident and Clear Channel dropping Howard Stern from six of its stations.

All this controversy, Baldegg told the Post, proves that her generation needs to promote intelligent discussion about sexuality. She said she is aiming for a positive appreciation of sexuality, where diverse body types and sexual orientations are represented. It is a forum to break away from high school, where she said abstinence is often the only option taught.

Still, some remain skeptical of the girls' intent. "If it's done tastefully, that's fine, but it seems like they are doing it to get attention," Fowler commented. "If they are coming at it from a purely information point of view, and the magazine has an intent to inform, there is no need for the naked pictures."

Socolow also wondered whether this is much ado about nothing. "These kids certainly understand the concept of buzz; they've played this for all it's worth and gotten their names in the paper," he said. "Whether H Bomb ever materializes doesn't really matter at this point; they've got their 15 minutes of fame."

Moskowitz said she hopes for accountability on everyone's part. "It is the responsibility of both the editors to act and the administration to pull funding if the magazine is offensive," she said.

The main issue, which remains clouded, is the difference between sexuality and pornography. Moskowitz said that "pornography is not by definition misogynistic," but only when it presents sex as an act committed by men to women.

When Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart attempted to define pornography, he remarked, "I know it when I see it."

Although clear to Stewart, the rest of the public is having trouble determining what is appropriate and what is not.