TO THE EDITOR:
We learned last semester that Playboy magazine was recruiting young women on UNC's campus for its "Girls of the ACC" special issue. We found this unfortunate.
Last week, we learned that the home of UNC chemistry professor Malcolm Forbes was a location for the magazine's photo shoot. We find this outrageous.
As the Chapel Hill News reported Sept. 15 on its front page - in an article entitled "Extra Credit" - Forbes permitted a three-day photo shoot involving nude female students at his home.
The newspaper's sexualized reporting of "college kids and ... married men ... screwing up the courage to approach and start a conversation" with the UNC student and Forbes' purchasing of 10 copies of the issue to send to friends "for proof" are examples of the media's harmful depictions of women. Needless to say, the coverage also reflects poorly on the University.
We are appalled and ashamed by Forbes' violation of his authority as a faculty member.
That Forbes' actions are totally unacceptable seems obvious. However, almost as shocking as Forbes' behavior is the apparent lack of criticism from the University.
This incident is an affront to the University community and to its female students.
What kind of academic climate are we cultivating at UNC when it is acceptable for a professor to host a Playboy photo shoot of students at his home?
