The Department of Housing and Residence Life dedicated the week of Oct. 25 to raising awareness about homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender. Events ranged from movie nights playing "The Birdcage" and "In & Out" to Grab 'em on the Greens, a picnic where students could hold hands with whomever they wanted.

One of the more controversial events planned was a "Sexual Tupperware Party." "Have you ever wanted to know what 'adult toys' look like? Have you ever wanted to learn why so many people use adult paraphernalia? If so, join the Res. Life staff as they have representatives from Lovin' Moods on hand. This educational, informational and fun program is sure to leave you wide-eyed!" the advertisement for the event said.

"The event was to educate students," said Joe Poletto, associate director of Housing and Residence Life.

However, the sex toy event was cancelled after Student Government Association President Steven Russell submitted a letter of protest to the housing office. Accompanying the letter was a petition started by SGA Finance Committee Chair Todd Caraway.

Poletto said the cancellation of the event had nothing to do with the letter or petition. The adult toy party was cancelled for one reason.

"I made an administrative decision," he said.

Members of the SGA met after the regular Senate Oct. 22 meeting. Two constituency groups, multi-cultural and Village housing, met to discuss the merits of the party. It was after this meeting the letter of protest was mailed to Dean of Students Richard Barth and to the Housing and Residence Life office. In the letter, Russell asked housing to cancel the event.

"Student Government Association feels this event does not accomplish either of the objectives mandated by housing for 'Theme Weeks,'" Russell wrote.

The two objectives for theme weeks are an event must be educational and a community builder.

"SGA has received complaints about this event and feels it should not occur under the name of the Office of Residence Life," he wrote.

Russell then strayed from the Sexual Tupperware party to write about the entire theme of the week.

"We feel this week may exclude a certain segment of the resident student population, because the week leaves out information about heterosexual lifestyle," Russell wrote.

Russell said the letter was not backed by SGA, but he did sign as the student body president and refers to SGA throughout the letter.

Caraway, also a resident adviser at Village West, started the petition attached to the letter.

The petition, signed by 46 people, said, "We the following students, residents, RAs and/or staff of the University, hereby request that the 'Sexual Tupperware Party' scheduled for Monday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m., be cancelled. We hereby do NOT agree with the contents of this program. It is a misuse of limited housing funds, does NOT aid in the building of campus community, and it does NOT promote or enhance our higher educational learning, with which residence life is designed to develop."

Caraway said he started the petition as a regular person, not as an adviser.

"I made clear to every person I went to that I was coming to them as a student, nothing more," he said. "It was a personal opinion and disagreement with the specific program."

Caraway said the petition was not based on being against homosexuals. He said it was about the community aspect, and the sex toy party did not even reflect positively on the homosexual community.

"It was not an educational tool on this lifestyle," he said. "It's showing GLBT to be promiscuous. It reinforces the stereotype of the community as just focused on sex."

Currently, there are no plans to reschedule the event.

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