It was intended to be an academic conference.
Participants could choose workshops such as "Sex Toys for Women" or talks on sadomasochism or lesbianism.Now critics are fuming about society's decline in values and the appropriate use of tax dollars and calling for the ouster of the man who allowed it: the president of the campus regarded as the most liberal one in the State University of New York system.
Roger Bowen, president of the State University of New York at New Paltz, said he found some of the more provocative topics in "poor taste" but that canceling discussions would have violated freedom of expression.
"If the university cannot host speakers and conferences of all ideological and philosophical shades, then it will have lost its soul," Bowen said.
In opening remarks Saturday, he welcomed the 250 students and others to the conference, titled "Revolting Behavior: The Challenges of Women's Sexual Freedom." The one-day event was sponsored by the school's women's studies program.
"These types of activities are exactly the problems that are causing the decline in the values of our society and destroying the education environment of our institutions," said Michael Long, chairman of the state Conservative Party.
Gov. George Pataki called the conference offerings disturbing and outrageous and ordered SUNY administrators to review what happened and tell him in a week what they intend to do about it.
"This has nothing to do with freedom of speech and everything to do with the proper expenditure of tax dollars," said Pataki, a Republican.
Joining Long in calling for Bowen's ouster were SUNY trustee Candace de Russy and Republican state Assemblymen John Guerin and Tom Kirwan.
"We did not set out to run a carnival," said Susan Lehrer, the school's women's studies coordinator. "We set out to run an academic conference of educational value."
She would not say how much taxpayers paid, though participants were asked to pay $20. Students got in for $5.