JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. ― Students and administrators on the Johnson City campus of East Tennessee State University are wondering about the impact three days of sex education known as Sex Week may have on the campus.
Although the $9,340 requested by the event’s organizers was denied by the student Senate, the group has achieved more than a quarter of the needed money through online fundraising.
Vice President of Student Affairs Joe Sherlin told The Johnson City Press that reservation forms for Sex Week were filed with the university weeks ago to hold spots for the scheduled programming.
“All of our polices and state laws allow student organizations to hold events on campus as long as reservation forms are filed and procedures are followed.”
Student Sen. Alex Cassell is worried Sex Week events could draw attention from state legislators and hurt the school’s funding. In conferring with two legislators whom he declined to name, Cassell said he was told any such event on campus could trigger new legislation setting up an opt-in, opt-out funding structure for student fees.
“The funding essential from the state would go out the window, and students would have to choose whether to opt-in,” Cassell said. “If they still had the event, if ETSU holds a Sex Week on our campus, they hold the right to force us into that program.”
Earlier this year, the legislature weighed a similar law concerning the University of Tennessee as the campus considered funding its own Sex Week. The bills were pulled when UT announced a voluntary policy allowing students to approve how their fees were spent.
