Wayne State: Pornography OK to watch in library

[hoosier]

Pornography OK to watch in library

By Lisa Green _|_Staff Writer


Instead of being used for research_or homework, computers in the David Adamany Undergraduate Library are often used for another purpose: to watch pornography.
Many students and staff walk by and regularly spot users watching pornographic material.
"Yeah,_I witnessed a couple of white guys masturbating on the first floor, but I quickly turned my head," said Antoine Stevens, a freshman. "After that, I went to the third floor."
Library staffers are finding that the community access terminals, located on the first floor of the UGL, are where users are getting in heavy viewing time because it seems easy to log on and "get off."
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"The community access terminals are frequently used by people who do not attend Wayne State," said Andrea Williams, a senior who works at the information desk in the UGL. "We get a lot of complaints about people viewing pornography and we have also had problems with people masturbating to porn."
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Yet, it's OK for anyone to look at porn (as long as it's not child pornography) in the UGL because Wayne State University is a public institution.
"The library can not kick anyone out for viewing porn, but we can tell them that their behavior is not acceptable," said Williams. "It's a privacy act and this is a public institution. So, we can't say 'you can't watch porn.'
"We just have to make sure people don't get too physical."
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Students have mixed feelings about this.
"I don't think it's appropriate for students to look at porn sites because it may be other people around who don't want to see negativity," said Stevens. "If it's OK to see porn in here they should have a little area to go to."
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Other students, like junior Andy Timmons, feel viewing porn on your down time is your business.
"I don't really care if students are watching porn in the UGL," he said. "The computers on the first floor are set inside the desk so it's not like a big deal. I've done research in the library and it has never disrupted me at all.
"I mean, you are at a booth, you can't really see other people. Well, maybe people have morality issues with it, but I think people should be able to do what they want."__

What do you think? Should it be OK for the University to let people view porn in the UGL? Let us know. Send emails to: letters@southend.wayne.edu.
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