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Time - Man of the Year
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1993-04-08
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THE WEEK, Page 17SOCIETYTolerance Betrayed
A pornography scandal rocks Exeter and rouses a debate over
diversity
Larry Lane Bateman's 1975 Ph.D. dissertation from Southern
Illinois University included two plays: one titled Kiss the Sky
and another called Lying in State. Both are about male high
school teachers who seduce male students. The controversial
content of those works might have made prospective employers
leery of hiring Bateman to teach at a boarding school. Yet
administrators at New Hampshire's Phillips Exeter Academy insist
that they never bothered to read his dissertation. At least, not
until life on campus began to imitate art.
Scandal first erupted in July, when police raided
Bateman's campus apartment and netted 650 pornographic videos.
So far, police believe that they have identified at least one
Exeter student in a video. Last Wednesday a federal grand jury
indicted Bateman on 38 counts of violating the prohibition
against shipping child pornography through the U.S. mail. If
convicted, he faces a maximum of life in prison and $9.5 million
in fines. Mortified school officials promptly fired Bateman from
his post as chair of the drama department and began fielding
furious calls from alumni and donors as well as parents. Full
room, board and tuition at Exeter costs more than $15,000 a
year.
The tragedy, which is certain to blemish the reputation of
one of the country's oldest and most prestigious secondary
schools, is equally certain to inflame the debate over
"political correctness" and tolerance of alternative life-styles
on the nation's campuses. Bateman, 51, pleaded not guilty on all
counts, and his lawyer says he is the victim of homophobia.
Exeter headmistress Kendra Stearns O'Donnell claims that the
school fosters an attitude of acceptance toward homosexual
teachers and students. She told the New York Times,"We have made
an effort to educate not only in the traditional way, but to
free students of the disabling prejudices that later in life
will compromise their ability to make a difference." Students
may get a chance to weigh in with their own opinions when, or
if, they return in the fall.