Instructor might have acted in pornography

Film producer will not release names of six BSU-affiliated actors

A Ball State University faculty member might have acted in a recently released pornography that was filmed in a campus building. This brings the total of Ball State-affiliated actors in "Vampire Diaries" to six, with five students also working in front of the camera.

"One of the participants is a BSU teacher," producer Christopher Gregory said. "I've spoken with her and she's well aware. It's unfortunate, but she's been anxious to be honest. I got a call from her [Thursday]. She has got her an agent and has submitted some things to Playboy."

Gregory would not release the students' or faculty member's name but said the faculty member intended to retire at the end of Spring Semester.

"I've told her if you can benefit from this and take it and turn it into a career path, then go for it." Gregory said.

President Jo Ann Gora and Provost Terry King said they couldn't believe a faculty member would participate in the film. But if one did, they had a right to do so, Gora said.

"Everyone is a free citizen," she said. "The university doesn't control how you spend your free time. It's legal. I don't believe there is a faculty member in it because if there were I think he would have leaked that to the press because it would make it juicier."

Half a dozen or more assisted with production aspects, Gregory said. Only two of those people have told him they are unhappy the film has become so controversial, he said.

Ball State will examine the film to make sure Gregory did not breach the location release agreement by portraying the university in any way, King said. Someone in the legal department will watch it, Gora said, and the university intends to send a letter to Gregory requesting the university be kept out of the film.

It was made in the Kitselman Center, which houses the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, a nationally recognized research center for faculty and students that was created from a donation by a daughter-in-law of one of Ball State's founders.

Two agreements were signed between Ball State and Gregory in 2002 and 2004; and Joseph Trimmer, director of the VBC, signed them both. This goes against university protocol, as all documents of this nature are supposed to pass through Business Affairs, Gora said.

"They certainly would have given it more scrutiny," she said. "What is unfortunate is this young man was not honest. He lied. He was not honest and he took advantage of the university."

She said Trimmer would not be removed from his position for giving Gregory permission to film his movie, and it was a teachable moment for program directors at Ball State. King said to keep this from happening again the university is looking for ways to make university policy more clear.

"We are looking at how we can make people aware there is only one office on campus that can sign agreements for Ball State University," he said.

While Ball State is approaching the issue from a legal standpoint, Gregory claims that the university is trying to take away his freedom of speech by censoring something of which it does not approve.

"What this basically comes down to is content," he said. "Ball State doesn't like the type of content I put into my movies. What bothers me is a university can take the stance to say we want to control content."

King said Ball State has no desire to stop Gregory from making his films, whether they are erotic or not. He only wants to ensure the university is not damaged by this situation, King said.

"I don't think this is a freedom of speech issue," he said. "I don't think anyone is threatening his freedom of speech. After all, we are a university and we value freedom of speech."

If Ball State had known about the nature of the film, Gregory would not have been allowed to film in any campus building, but Gora said he was free to make the type of film he wanted to in another location.

"He has a right to make a film," she said. "He doesn't have a right to lie to us and use our facilities and lie about them. This is not a person you can trust."