SGA not allowed to support boobs

Four boxes filled with pink shirts sit in the SGA office with no hope of ever being worn by a student at USI.  The supposed reason: the shirts’ message ‘SGA supports boobs’ is in poor taste.

“We were all set before the game when we heard that Dr. Parrent said there was absolutely no way we could pass out the shirts,” Dylan Melling RedZone chair said.

The T-shirts were ordered to be worn during the ‘Paint the PAC Pink’ night when the USI woman’s basketball team hosted the University of Indianapolis Feb. 13.

According to Melling, who is also the administrative vice president of university affairs, SGA was trying to decide on a message for the shirts to be worn during the event.

“We searched for messages and found the ‘so and so’ supports boobs message and decided that this was something that SGA was ok with putting our name on the shirt with the message,” Melling explained “We didn’t go through the administrative channels to make sure the message was ok because our attitude has been ‘if you’re willing to do it, make it happen.’”

However, 15 minutes before the game was set to start, Melling said he talked with Robert Parrent, vice president of student affairs, and that Parrent told him not to pass out the shirts.

“He told me that in his mind it was in poor taste and that it doesn’t reflect the views of the university,” Melling said.

There are now 230 T-shirts sealed up that cost $1,200 which, according to Melling, was about one-fifth of their budget for the event.

Dean of Students Barry Schonberger said that beyond approving the funds to order the shirts, he had no knowledge of a proposed message.        

Schonberger said that from time to time the administration and student organizations sit down and discuss the pros and cons of a student activity, “it is my understanding that Dr. Parrent was involved in one of these discussions.”

Parrent said that beyond knowing that SGA was considering making a T-shirt purchase for the event, he had no knowledge of the shirts other than that they were pink.

“I was not privy to nor part of any part of the conversations,” Parrent stated.

“I acknowledge there are two different camps of thought on the issue and whether there is a right or wrong side is not for me to say,” Melling said, “I do think we need to discuss what is the line between student organizations and administrative sponsorship, however, it would not be productive me to pursue the fight.”