A Message to Certain BSU Students: Keep Your Hands Off Girls' Back Ends

All the controversy spawned from one asinine male on his bike on the campus of Ball State University. According to a campus police report, at approximately 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, a white male rode by and slapped at least three different women on the buttocks. Two of these women chose to report the incident to campus police, and the department issued a public safety notice via email to BSU students and faculty.

This spurred a whole succession of events, most notably the creation of a Facebook page titled "The Ball State Ass Slapper," which got in excess of 5,000 fans in one day. In the Info section of the page, the creator wrote the following:

"The author of this page in NO WAY condones the objectification of or violence towards women or men. Jokes about rape will NOT be tolerated. The purpose of this page is simply to mock the fact that the University is considering this an 'Emergency Situation.'"

Allow me to clarify several points:

First, the creator of the page did not identify him/herself as anything beyond NOT being "the infamous ass slapper." The only contact information given is an email address: bsuslapperfounder@yahoo.com. This person must feel great being able to start such a movement. Why are you hiding behind the internet? Why not identify yourself?

Also, as you can see in this copy of the police's public safety notice (it is from a collegehumor.com post, though it is far from humorous), there is NO mention of it being an "Emergency Situation," which trumps the whole basis for the creation of the Facebook page, does it not? The fact that the sending address is "Emergency Broadcast" simply means the police sent the message to their "public safety notice" list of faculty and students. Get it right.

The Ball State Daily News wrote that "case reports indicate the man will be charged with battery" in an opinion column article titled "Our View: Campus battery is nothing to laugh about," which gives a good idea of how they feel. There has also been a Facebook group created in opposition of the original group.

If it had stopped there, this would be just another pestilence at which we can shake our heads and hope does not happen again. However, what we have now is the discussion of a so-called "Ass Slapping Game." There are 45 comments so far, from the creator of the page and BSU students, male and female alike. There are talks of a points system, where people earn 1 point if a girl shows appreciation for having been slapped, 2 points if she is disgusted, and 10 points if BSU puts out another "emergency email," as one imbicile suggested.

Hm...so how many points do you get if, after you ride by and slap the girl, you or she get hit by a car and suffer serious injuries? Are you the winner?? Ever consider that scenario?

But it doesn't stop there, folks. These people are planning on making t-shirts to sell at $10 a pop (so girls can indicate their compliance to have a guarantee of being sexually harrased), and the latest suggestions say they should give proceeds to a sexual assault center. Though the charity would be appreciated, the way in which the money is collected and the potential harm it can cause is not remotely close to appropriate.

And whatever happened to the idea that women are entitled to decide what will happen to their bodies? Be alert, ladies of BSU. That may not be your choice. In all this discussion, it seems females will be the victims of males' actions. After all, none of the females who have commented have volunteered to join the ranks of the harrassers.

So here are suggested actions YOU can take to put an end to this obnoxiousness:

1). Visit "The Ball State Ass Slapper" Facebook Page, scroll down to middle of it, and click "Report Page." At least this way, the developers of Facebook will simply remove the page altogether.

2). Contact the campus police to inform them if you see any more of these incidents. No one should have the right to commit this act and simply ride off with a smile.

3). Encourage your friends NOT to join this ridiculous parade of the mindless: do NOT join the group, and do NOT purchase any t-shirts. If you wish to donate to a sexual abuse victims group, do so in a way that does not contradict their goals.

And finally, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Spread the word about this and the true meaning of feminism, instead of encouraging further discussion of this violation of women's lives.

Photo Credit: Facebook Group: We Oppose Members if The Ball State Ass Slapper Group. It is Not A Joke!

Good News, Bad News: New Jersey Edition

So, admittedly, New Jersey is not a state I spend a ton of time reading about, but today two bits of news worth knowing came across my radar. I'm left with mixed feelings about these goings-on in the Garden State.

Thumbs Up, NJ!

The NJ appeals court ruled yesterday that sexual harassment and discrimination laws apply to business owners and their clients, in a decision that expands application of the laws beyond just employer-employee relationships. A description of the case from NJ.com:

Eileen Tortorello, the owner of J.T.’s Tire Service Inc., in South Plainfield, filed suit against United Rentals North America Inc. and its Piscataway branch manager, Harold Hinkes, in January 2008, alleging Hinkes stopped buying tires from the firm after she refused his sexual advances.

United Rentals sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing sexual harassment is prohibited only in a workplace environment. In addition, the company, while acknowledging that the facts in the case are true, said they did not rise to the level of sex discrimination.

This is big news, with the three-judge panel overturning a previous ruling in order to allow Tortorello to sue United Rentals North America, Inc. after one of the company's managers pulled his business after his sexual advances were rejected by Tortorello.

We'll be interested to see how the case develops, but for now, a thumbsup!

Now, for the bad news -

Thumbs Down, NJ!

After an hour and a half of heated public debate in the Senate chamber, the state Senate rejected a bill to permit same-sex marriage. Though New Jersey legalized civil unions in 2006, supporters of the marriage legislation argue that same-sex couples are still discriminated against in some ways, citing hospital visitation rights and pension benefits.

This is just another disappointing chapter in the ongoing battle for equal rights for the LGBTQ community. A definite thumbs down on this one.

Sexual Harassment Given Priority it Deserves!

Salt Water Taffy, "Dirty Watah," civil unions, the Chess Man of Harvard Square, the great debate between Mike's and Modern Pastry (Modern all the way): all things that make me proud to say I'm from Boston.

And now there's more: the city's push to get pervs off the T (that's our public transportation system or "metro," for all of you non-locals)...

With the help of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (about whom I can't say enough good things (Bostonians can volunteer with BARCC by clicking here!)) there will now be ads on the T deterring suspicious behavior, while informing the public that there is a zero tolerance for sexual harassment and how to go to reporting witnessed incidents.

Not only do the ads raise awareness for riders to pay attention to protect themselves/others, the ads also make known the new undercover cop policy. Attacking the issue on both fronts with hidden police ensures that nothing will go unnoticed. Check it out here, as shown in this clip on Boston's FOX News (yes, I went there; apologies all around.)

The fact that Boston has put this issue at high priority makes me so happy, as it happens far too often (and mostly goes unreported.) Sexual Harassment like this is not committed by socials aberrations, but by terrorists using sex as a scare tactic to oppress and maintain undeserved privilege. To see groups like BARCC and the Boston police department working together like this is great progress and a model other cities should copy.



Oh, and Yankees suck.

Supreme Court Rules in Strip Search Case

The Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 decision today that the strip search of a 13-year old girl by public school officials was unconstitutional. In the majority opinion, Justice Souter affirmed the circuit court's decision that the girl's Fourth Amendment rights had been violated (see pdf of majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions here).

The 13-year old student, Savana Redding, was accused by a fellow classmate of having several tablets of ibuprofin, an over-the-counter drug banned from school property. After getting the tip from the fellow classmate, vice principal Kerry Wilson searched Redding's backpack and pockets, and then sent her to the nurse where she was required to strip down to her bra and underpants. At no point during or immediately following the search was Redding permitted to call her mother.

While acknowledging that Redding's Fourth Amendment rights were violated, the Supreme Court overturned the lower court's decision to hold vice principal Wilson accountable for the strip search. Souter and six other justices ruled that Wilson and other school officials were immune from legal punishment because past court rulings have been unclear regarding the amount of power that administrators have over students.

Justices Stevens and Ginsburg concurred that Redding's Fourth Amendment rights had been violated by the search, but disagreed with the court's ruling on Wilson's immunity. In her opinion, Justice Ginsburg wrote of Wilson's actions that "abuse of authority of that order should not be shielded by official immunity... Wilson's treatment of Redding was abusive and it was not reasonable for him to believe that the law permitted it."

While it is a victory that the court acknowledged Redding's constitutional rights in this case, it is a shame that no one is being held accountable for the undoubtedly traumatic experience that she endured. The court must clarify its position on students' vs. school officials' rights to ensure that what happened to Savana Redding does not happen again.