In an effort to bolster student free speech rights, John Muir College senior Steve York broadcast an hour-and-a-half segment featuring sexual acts he performed with an unidentified woman during his Student-Run Television show, “Koala TV.”
The Feb. 3 pornography piece was the first in a series of segments to be aired in the spirit of open expression, according to York, who is also the editor of the Koala and A.S. elections manager.
“It’s my effort to bridge the gap between students and their sexual desires in a fun way,” York said. “This is only the first of a number of adult works being produced as we speak, all of which will be aired to the students of this school.”
Since SRTV is a closed-circuit station, indecency regulations specified by the Federal Communications Commission do not apply. SRTV rules allow for pornographic broadcasts, as long as they are not copyrighted and are aired between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to SRTV station manager Chelsea Welch. Despite initial surprise about York’s piece, SRTV had been informed of his intentions to air the program last fall, Welch said.
“We were all aware that he was going to make this film and there were no objections from members,” Welch said. “After seeing the film, I was still shocked that he actually did it, but I was proud that he went through with it.”
The Closed-Circuit TV Stations Governance committee, established in the fall, is the only campus committee that applies specifically to SRTV. The initial format of the committee, drafted by Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph W. Watson, included only one student representative. However, Watson added a representative from each of the six colleges after complaints from A.S. President Jenn Pae.
The committee was created in response to the shutdown of SRTV for four days last May, stemming from Thornton Hospital patients’ complaints that the station was broadcasting obscene material. SRTV managers were uncertain whether the material aired was a part of regular programming or if a break-in at the station occurred because administrators refused to explain what they saw.
York considers the committee an obstacle to SRTV content.
“It’s obvious from the focus on the committee and the student representatives on it that they do not want the administration’s hands on ‘their’ stations and judging their content,” he said. “I see it as another step to control the counter-culture of this school that has kept the status quo in check for as long as this campus has existed.”
Members of the committee will not regulate content, but merely “review the mission, governance and operations status and guidelines for the college and ASUCSD campus television stations, and discuss, with those responsible for each of the stations, changes in the guidelines needed to make [them] explicitly clear,” according to the committee’s official description.
The last committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 14, before a report summarizing content responsibility is submitted to Watson, according to Welch.
Committee members have not addressed and do not plan to address York’s broadcast, according to committee chair and Director of Student Policies and Judicial Affairs Nicholas S. Aguilar.
“The committee has not been asked to respond to the incident,” Aguilar said. “It is not the charge of the committee to respond to specific complaints, but only to answer questions that arise out of the campus charter for the vice chancellor.”
A.S. representatives support all avenues of SRTV free speech, according to A.S. Commissioner of Student Services Kian Maleki.
“[The Associated Students] hopes that the administration considers the age and breadth of the audience SRTV caters to if the time comes that they decide to make some changes,” Maleki said. “The administration is frequently trying to tighten purse-strings where it can, and controversial services like [SRTV] … are constantly feeling the pinch.”
A.S. Adviser Lauren Weiner also contacted SRTV managers concerning York’s show, according to Welch.
“She was very objective about it and she wanted to know what had been aired and how it was in compliance with SRTV’s charter and bylaws so that if she was asked questions about it, she would know what to say,” Welch said. “I talked to her about it and went through how the film did not violate FCC regulations regarding obscenity, and that was it.”
Despite support from SRTV and Associated Students, York is ready to respond if any action is taken against his show.
“If any legal action is taken or further pressed, I will have no problem assembling a coalition of free-speech supporters and the entire might of the adult industry to bear against this school for infringing on our rights as adults and students paying for our own television services,” York said.
If students are opposed to any SRTV broadcast, Associated Students encourages their participation in programming efforts, according to Maleki.
