SUNY Chancellor Chides New Paltz President Over Sex Conference

The chancellor of the State University of New York chastised the president of the New Paltz campus last week for approving a conference on sex last November, and said the conference could be a factor in reviews of the president’s work.

Chancellor John W. Ryan said the conference had been “needlessly offensive to many people” and had failed to meet SUNY’s expectations for intellectual substance. The conference, which included workshops on sex toys and sadomasochism, also led Governor George E. Pataki, a Republican, to order a review of the university’s decision to help pay for the forum.

Candace de Russy, a SUNY trustee who had attended the fall conference, responded to the chancellor’s comments by backing away last week from her call for the resignation of the New Paltz president, Roger W. Bowen. Mr. Ryan said the university’s formal review process would allow “sufficient opportunity to judge the leadership quality” at New Paltz.

Mr. Bowen said the mention of the review in the context of the criticism made him wonder if his job was in jeopardy.

Chancellor Ryan’s comments clashed with a report in December by the panel he had formed at Mr. Pataki’s request. The inquiry absolved Dr. Bowen of wrongdoing and attributed his decision to allow the conference to academe’s tradition of free expression.

Dr. Bowen said he was “shocked and dismayed” that Mr. Ryan had “chosen to ignore the findings” of his own review committee.