Last Wednesday, the University of Maryland’s Board of Regents followed the Chancellor William E. Kirwan’s recommendation to not create a policy regulating the screening of obscene films on campus. The decision closed a dispute that had been ongoing since April, when University President C. D. Mote Jr. cancelled the on-campus screening of a pornographic film after pressure from state legislators.

Students at the University of Maryland-College Park were forbidden from screening “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” when state Sen. Andrew Harris (R-Baltimore County) threatened to cut off state funding for UMD.

Sarah Elfreth, appointed student member of the University of Maryland system Board of Regents remarked on the decision. "The students couldn't be happier," said Elfreth to the Student Press Law Center. "We really feel like this is a victory for free speech."

Kirwan said that although the creation of a policy would not bring a financial burden to the campuses in itself, "it would be a target for a law suit" that would "almost certainly go to the Supreme Court," which would ultimately be expensive.

Student body president at College Park, Steve Glickman, said, "The student voice has been loud and clear," and commended the board for listening to student opinion on the issue.

Brady Walker, chairman of the university system's Student Council, added, "We are a strong and better system for having engaged in this debate," he added.

Even at private universities, students are celebrating across the nation. An editorial in the Crimson at Harvard University reads, “In the end the University of Maryland’s decision does not just protect porn; it protects students.”

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