LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Thanks to a veto by the governor, a University of Kansas professor won’t be risking his department’s entire budget by showing explicit videos in his human sexuality course.
Citing academic freedom, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius struck a provision from a budget bill Monday that would cut off funding for state university departments in which videos deemed obscene are bought or shown for undergraduate classes on sexuality. She also vetoed a second measure that had been criticized by pro-abortion groups.
“In a democracy, academic freedom in higher education is essential,” Sebelius, a Democrat who took office in January, wrote in her veto message.
The provision, sponsored by Republican Sen. Susan Wagle, was based on students’ descriptions of the popular class that professor Dennis Dailey has taught for the past 20 years. The noncommercial videos are shot in clinical settings rather than studios or bedrooms.
Dailey teaches in the university’s School of Social Welfare, which has a $3.1 million budget. On Tuesday, Dailey said he was pleased with Sebelius’ veto.
Still pending is a complaint Wagle filed earlier this month, in which she objected to the professor’s use of “street language” and gestures. She said he encourages students to discuss their sexual habits and explore their bodies for homework. The university said it was looking into the complaint.
Wagle said she would know by the end of the week whether she would attempt to override the veto, which requires a two-thirds majority in each chamber. The Legislature reconvenes from a long recess on April 30.
While some students supported Dailey, others questioned the need for the videos.
“I didn’t need to see someone paralyzed having sex,” 21-year-old sophomore Chelle McAfee said, giving an example.
Sebelius also vetoed a bill Monday that ordered the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to set minimum standards for abortion clinics, regulating such things as equipment, lighting and the size of interview rooms and dressing rooms.
Abortion opponents had pushed the legislation, framing it as a public health measure. Critics claim its real goal was to close abortion clinics – there are seven in Kansas – or make their services too expensive for many women.
House Speaker Doug Mays promised to seek to override the veto.
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On the Net:
Kansas Legislature: http://www.kslegislature.org
University of Kansas: http://www.ukans.edu
AP-ES-04-22-03 1256EDT
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