courtesy of SULast week, the Sophomore Class Council sent a newsletter to the mailboxes of members of the class of 2005. The newsletter, the second released this year, contained concert updates, event listings, a sex advice column and a series of sexually explicit jokes.
“This was actually the second newsletter which was meant as a way to reach the class,” said sophomore Jordan Friedman, president of the Sophomore Class Council. “It was a joint effort with the cabinet and the class council. The people who put the newsletter together basically tried to take the positive feedback they received from the previous newsletters, and they tried to amplify that.”
Despite the council’s intentions, many students were offended by the content of the letter. Some of the more controversial aspects include a column encouraging anal rape, a reference to oral sex, a “joke of the week” whose punch line compares the scent of a woman to the smell of a fish market, and several explicit “pick-up-lines.”
“I thought it was really inappropriate and didn’t have anything to do with the sophomore class,” said sophomore Erika Sabbath. “Most of it was in poor taste, but the part about anal rape just crossed the line.”
Sophomore Julia Smith agreed and expressed concern about the individuals she helped to vote into office.
“I was really insulted and really let down by these people who are supposed to represent my interests,” said Smith.
Other sophomore students thought that the content of the newsletter was acceptable.
“I personally was not offended by it,” said sophomore Adam Reisig. “I thought it was fine.”
In response to the negative student criticism, the Sophomore Class Council issued an apology e-mail, telling students that the council had “learned from [their] mistakes,” and urged students to contact the council with future questions.
“There may have been things that people found offensive and in bad taste,” said the apology e-mail.
The apology also stressed that the newsletter was intended as a means of communicating with the sophomore class.
“We made a mistake,” said Friedman. “We definitely stepped over the line.”
Despite this apology, some students believe that further steps need to be taken to rectify the situation.
“The apology was not sufficient,” said Smith.
Sabbath agreed and wondered as to whether or not there was oversight.
“I just want to know how nobody else saw how inappropriate it all was,” she said. “The apology e-mail was a nice step, but I don’t think it was enough.”