College Striptease Prompts Sexism Probe

Claremont McKenna College, responding to an incident in which a paid stripper took off most of her clothes in a packed school dining hall, has appointed a committee to look into sexism on campus.

The incident has sparked strong debate at the Claremont campus, where more than 100 of the 851-member student body at the elite private school attended a public forum on the issue Wednesday. Feminists have found it offensive, but a larger group feels the whole incident has been blow out of proportion.

“She didn’t strip all the way down, and I think that’s important to note,” said Shannon Lingren, 19, a sophomore. “Our school has done things that are more noteworthy than having a stripper on campus; I don’t see why that would have been singled out.”

School authorities said they don’t condone what happened, but had no knowledge or control over the incident. The stripper appeared at lunchtime on Halloween, and was hired by the father of a student as a birthday present to his son, said school President Jack Stark.

Stark said he hopes the controversy can be used as a springboard to discuss the broader issue of whether sexism exists on campus. He has appointed a committee of two administrators, two faculty members and two students to report on the issue by March.