This Is What Happens When You Allow Dancing at College…

Baptist Baylor University in Waco, Texas--which only allowed dancing a decade ago--has banned its female students from participating in a planned Playboy "Girls of the Big 12" spread.

"Playboy is clearly antithetical to Baylor's mission and associating with the magazine would be a violation of the code of conduct," [Baylor VP Samuel W.] Oliver wrote in the e-mail. University officials said punishment could include suspension.

Whole thing here.

Hat Tip to Investor's Business Daily's Sean Higgins.

Comments

[Karen]

Baylor expelled the two students who represented it in "Girls of the Southwest Conference" in 1980. I'm glad to know they respect their own traditions.

[TomHynes]

Baptists aren't allowed to have sex standing up - people might think they are dancing.

[kyle]

Thankfully, the students with side jobs as exotic dancers may continue their work in peace.

[bubba]

Reasonoids should applaud the right of a private University to uphold standards for the benefit of the like-minded students who choose to attend.

[the other Mark]

"Reasonoids should applaud the right of a private University to uphold standards for the benefit of the like-minded students who choose to attend."

We do. And we make fun of them, too. Did you have a point?

[Another Lurker]

They may be a private university and are certainly allowed to do what they want to do policywise provided they do not take any state funds.

I don't have to applaud the behavior just because I respect their right to do it.

Nice try though.

[MP]

Reasonoids should applaud the right of a private University to uphold standards for the benefit of the like-minded students who choose to attend.

Not the disclaimer issue again... bubba, if I call you a fucktard, should all my reasonoid friends say "Hooray, Free Speech!", or can't they simply say "Stop being an asshole!"?

[sage +P]

Ha ha. My sewer brain only saw this:

Girls of the Big 12" spread.

And I thought damn they're asking a lot.

[Russ 2000]

don't have to applaud the behavior just because I respect their right to do it.

But they don't have the right. They can tell Playboy they can't use the school's name, but the students can't be banned from doing whatever they want off campus. "Jenny, 20, from a Baptist university (name withheld upon request)..."

[JD]

Russ 2000 - It depends what you mean by "ban", no? The school can't physically prevent the students from posing, or throw them in jail, but they can elect not to continue their business relationship with the students. I think it's stupid, but look at it this way: suppose a university student achieves notoriety as the leader of the local White Power Party, proclaiming the inferiority of other races, advocating their expulsion, etc. He's very careful not to do any of his inflammatory activity on campus, though. Does a private school not have the right to discontinue their relationship with him?

[Eryk Boston]

...and to think I applied to Baylor Law

[robert]

when i attended baylor u, back befor we could dance, there was a student who was pregnant out of wedlock. she was kicked out of school. there was a great deal of public hooha about the whole thing, but it was an experience that led me to actually realize the difference between a public and private institution and in particular when one (person) is involved in one (institution) the rights you have to express yourself but not necessarily expect to change the institution.

[joe]

I was fortunate enough to go to The George Washington University, where the administration doesn't give a rat's ass about you.

[downstater]

as a big 12 alum, i always thought baylor was like an NAIA crossover/exhibition game.

[Karen]

Erik, I went to Baylor Law School. It's a much different world from the undergrad. We were actually allowed to have dances, though they had to be off campus. We also spent much time making fun of the undergrads, too.

[Blasphemer]

Good for Baylor.

And this is coming from a big porn hound.

But hey, if you have certain standards you think are right, actually employing them is something to applaud.

It's not like the young ladies' lives are going to be ruined by not getting into Playboy. And if they REALLY want to be in there, transfer to Texas Tech and take all the naked pictures their hearts desire....

[Jim "Kickin' Off Those Sunday]

Sounds like a sequel to Footloose may be in the works...

[Ruthless]

Even married Baptists are prohibited from having sex standing up.
It could lead to dancing.

[WestEgg]

It's possible for a Baylor student to appear in Playboy and not get expelled. I did it back in aught-two. Of course, 1) I'm a dude, 2) was in Baylor Law School at the time (which, as Karen notes, is quite a bit different from the rest of the university), and 3) appeared (as the old guy) in a group picture with my undergraduate fraternity and several (barely) clothed women. The fraternity got kicked off campus for a year (as anticipated, but you can't buy publicity like that, especially at Baylor). I managed to graduate, and now fight The Man in a public defender's office.

The folklore when I was an undergrad was that the Baylor women who appeared in Playboy were ususually seniors who graduated before the SWC or Big 12 issues came out, thus avoiding the possibility of expulsion.

[John C. Randolph]

Bubba,

Upholding someone's right to be an asshole doesn't require that you respect their exercise of that right.

Fuck the Baylor administration.

-jcr