(WBIR - Knoxville) UT Sex Week is coming back for its second year. The week-long student event will be held on UT's campus March 2 - 7, 2014. Last year, the student-organized event was met with some controversy. It bothered enough state leaders and university officials that the University of Tennessee pulled thousands of dollars in funding from the event.
After hearing Sex Week will return for a second year, State Representative Richard Floyd (R - Chattanooga) is sponsoring House Joint Resolution 661, which condemns the organizers of the event.
Sex Week co-founder and co-chairman, UT senior Brianna Rader, said, "When I first read it, it was condemning UT administration and now it's been amended to condemn the organizers."
The other Sex Week co-founder and co-chairman, UT Senior Jacob Clark, said, "I can't say I was shocked. I try not to be shocked with our state legislature anymore, but I'm disappointed."
The resolution calls Sex Week "atrocious"and says the event has "distressed countless UT alumni and Tennessee taxpayers." It also says Sex Week's $25,000 budget is an "outrageous misuse of student fees and grant monies". The resolution also says the event does not and should not fit within the university's mission.
Rader said of the $25,000 budget for this year's Sex Week $20,000 is coming from student fees. The remaining $5,000 is from Ready for the World grant from UT.
The resolution is expected to be taken up Monday. Rader and Clark said they have been working closely with UT administration on this year's Sex Week and regardless of the outcome of the resolution, Sex Week 2014 will take place as planned.
If House Joint Resolution 661 passes, certified copies will be given to the Chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the President of the University of Tennessee.
To read the the resolution, go to http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/108/Bill/HJR0661.pdf
For information on Sex Week and to look at this year's events, go to http://sexweekut.org/.
