I have recently learned of the after-class activity associated with Prof. Michael Bailey's Human Sexuality class, and I am troubled and disappointed by what occurred.That's probably not a complete quote of the text of his statement.
Although the incident took place in an after-class session that students were not required to attend and students were advised in advance, several times, of the explicit nature of the activity, I feel it represented extremely poor judgment on the part of our faculty member. I simply do not believe this was appropriate, necessary or in keeping with Northwestern University's academic mission.
Northwestern faculty members engage in teaching and research on a wide variety of topics, some of them controversial. That is the nature of a university. However, in this instance, I have directed that we investigate fully the specifics of this incident, and also clarify what constitutes appropriate pedagogy, both in this instance and in the future. ...
[Many people] in the Northwestern community are disturbed by what took place on our campus. So am I.
As bad as the live asshammer demonstration was, at least this course didn't involve child pr0nography, as some "human sexuality" courses have at other universities.
What I do know is that this kind of "instruction" doesn't really fit well with my idea of higher education. A cerebral approach to subject matter (even of a prurient nature) is one thing; but when you start getting into "practical exercises" and "demonstrations" it leaves the realm of academic study.