Pittsburgh- from www.post-gazette.com- Carnegie Mellon University “strongly objects” to pornography screenings like the one planned tomorrow night for its McConomy auditorium, and a staff member has asked student sponsors to reconsider, an administrator told the campus yesterday.

Just the same, Carnegie Mellon says it will not intervene and fully expects showings of “The New Devil in Miss Jones,” a hard-core film, to go on as scheduled at the private university.

In an e-mail to students and employees, interim dean of student affairs Dick Tucker weighed in on a subject that has caused controversy at other colleges this spring and led one public campus, the University of Maryland, to cancel a porn screening amid threatened loss of state funding.

The interim dean noted that such screenings have occurred at Carnegie Mellon in some past semesters, and that the Activities Board, a student group that sponsors them, is a recognized campus organization.

He also made clear that Carnegie Mellon has not approved of these X-rated showings, which are part of a wide-ranging film series organized by the Activities Board.

“While university policy supports freedom of expression, the university strongly objects to showing such films,” Mr. Tucker wrote. “We regret the offense or discomfort that the showing of such a film may create for members of the campus community.”

He said a staff adviser “has been engaged in ongoing conversations with the group, as in past years, strongly encouraging them to reconsider the appropriateness of showing such a film.”

The interim dean was not available for further comment.

Tomasz Skowronski, a Carnegie Mellon senior and acting president of the Activities Board, also could not be reached.

The university has said alternative programming will be offered for those who do not wish to see the movie.

Typically, 48 films are shown by the Activities Board each semester, including blockbusters ranging from horror movies to comedies. Last fall, another pornography film, “Pirates II,” was one of the most popular draws of the films shown.

Some individuals on campus have complained in the past. But the school decided after campus discussions to allow the screening to continue, with admission limited to those 18 and older with a valid student ID.

Film admission costs $1, but unlike others films in the series, pornography screenings do not rely on student activity fees because the pornography producers do not charge for the campus showings. University funds are not involved, either.