Kokomo, Indiana- A freshman who stars in an adult Web site featuring semi-nude pictures of her taken in her dorm room and showers at Briscoe-Shoemaker will not be charged through the campus judicial system, Dean of Students Richard McKaig revealed Monday.
“It was agreed that this is a situation like those in the past when students have posed for Playboy,” McKaig said. “The University does not condone the activity, but it is also outside of the University to control it.”
Keira, as she has asked to be called, has received international media attention since news of her Web site, www.teenkeira.com, broke last week.
Much of the controversy arose over concerns Keira may have broken the student code of conduct. According to the code, “lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct” on University property can result in a judicial board hearing.
Police confirmed to him that they discovered no unlawful activity, and UITS confirmed that the site was not being run on the University’s network.
He also said Keira has agreed to not take anymore pictures in common areas such as the showers.
“It appears as if no one in the showers was disturbed by the pictures at the time they were taken.” McKaig said. “She has also tried to get some of those pictures off the site.”
In fall 2002 several students went through the judicial system for participating in the filming of an adult movie in Teter Quad by Shane Enterprises. It is unknown what, if any, punishment those students received.
But McKaig said Keira’s Web site, which does not advertise any affiliation with the University though charges a $24.95 per month fee, is not the same thing.
“This doesn’t rise to the same level of exploitation of IU’s name or marks,” McKaig said. “I haven’t viewed the film or the site, but I’ve been advised that even the acts the subjects are engaged in are significantly different.”
IU Student Association president Casey Cox agreed with the administration’s decision.
“This didn’t seem as exploitative (as the Shane’s World video),” Cox said. “In that case the fact that we were named the No. 1 party school was used to facilitate the filming, and the University name was used for profit. I think there’s a big difference.”
Keira did not return phone messages by press time on the University’s decision, but has previously defended the site.
“I don’t feel it’s porn,” Keira said in a previous Indiana Daily Student article. “You can call it an adult site, but there’s no intercourse or oral sex. There’s not anyone else in the pictures with me. I’m not even fully nude.”