Controversial UCTV show stirs uproar

The UConn community is embroiled in a debate over rape culture and free speech after a show depicting violence against women aired on the student-run TV station.

The show "Shenanigans" first premiered on UCTV in October. Each episode consists of a 13-minute-long comedy sketch that caricatures college-related situations.

The fifth episode, which aired on Nov. 10, follows a distressed woman who is trying to run away from a masked perpetuator. She runs to two of UConn's code blue phone kiosks designated for emergency services and tries to make a call to the police. Instead, she is verbally assaulted by the operators with a variety of sexual epithets and hateful expletives.

UCTV released a formal apology on their web site on Tuesday. "Please keep in mind that the views expressed on any UCTV program do not reflect the opinions of UCTV, its board of directors, its members, or the University of Connecticut. On March 1st, 2012, UCTV will release an updated version of our Broadcast Policies and Procedures on our web site," the statement said.

UCTV's General Manager Mateo Gonzalez said in an interview that the station respects the students' right to protest. He also said that he personally understands their need to discuss the dialogue from the offending episode, and will be proactive by working with campus organizations on any future issues.

University officials were also quick to respond to the recent uproar over the UCTV program. President Susan Herbst conveyed her opinion in a brief statement on Wednesday.

"I haven't seen the video, but it's always important to foster a culture of respect and understanding on a college campus," Herbst said. "When something crosses a line between just being plain old bad taste to something that is deeply offensive, it's important that students speak up and talk about that."

"It looks like the station has taken the video down and apologized to the students it may have hurt and a healthy discussion is taking place in its wake about the seriousness of sexual assault. That's not a bad outcome," said Herbst.

Michael Kirk, UConn's senior media relations specialist, agreed that those with dissenting opinions should engage in public discourse on the situation. He said in his statement that UCTV did the right thing by taking the video off of its web site, since it is a student-funded organization.

Students who were concerned about the situation and its implications organized a rally on Wednesday evening in the Women's Center. Their agenda was to create a plan of action and find a way to move forward. Prior to the meeting however, individuals expressed their opinions on the Facebook page for the event. One user said that she was embarrassed to be a Husky, while another said that there was no point in making a war out of words.

The meeting started off with open discourse on why the "Shenanigans" sketch is conducive to rape culture. Both victims and supporters of victims spoke out to denounce the vulgar language from the show. They said that such media portrayal of violence discourages those who are assaulted from reporting their experiences. One woman even said that she was offended by the student response to the episode. According to her, many people at UConn are still naive about rape culture as they didn't show any disapproval toward the broadcast.

Volunteers from the Connecticut Sexual Assault Center were on hand to dispense advice and talk to individuals at the meeting. Meanwhile, the new student group Revolution Against Rape was on hand to unite potential activists.

Six representatives from UCTV were also present to relay an apology and offer their support through methods of mitigation. They did not however, say whether "Shenanigans" will continue to be broadcast on the station or not.

Production Manager Chelsea Miller said that she is hosting office hours tomorrow from 12:30-5 p.m. in Student Union room 321. Furthermore, the creator of the UCTV show "Make Your Own Damn Sandwich" said that she is working on writing an episode in response to "Shenanigans." "Comedy is a great way to combat assumptions," she said.

Some of the prevalent ideas at the meeting included: having university-endorsed education to diminish sexual assault on campus and endorse respect for women, and having a face-to-face discussion with the individuals responsible for the sketch. Protestors did not want to force an apology from the "Shenanigans" staff. They did however, want student media outlets to take responsibility for their content by adjusting their policies and having their representatives undergo sensitivity training. While they stressed that censorship is not necessary, they said that responsibility and appropriateness are required from organizations such as The Daily Campus, WHUS and UCTV.