National
      Campus
      News.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Council
      President
      Offers
      Tips
      To
      Pick
      Up
      Women
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Ubyssey,
      University
      of
      British
      Columbia
     
     
      by
      Nadene
      Rehnby
     
    
   
   
    
     
      VANCOUVER
      (CUP)
      --
      A
      student
      council
      president
     
     
      who
      offered
      tips
      on
      picking
      up
      women
      in
      a
      local
     
     
      daily
      newspaper
      is
      under
      fire
      for
      his
      "sexist"
     
     
      attitude.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      the
      Vancouver
      Province’s
      relationships
      column
     
     
      Sept.
      6,
      University
      of
      British
      Columbia
      student
     
     
      council
      president
      Kurt
      Preinsperg
      offered
      "31
      hints
     
     
      to
      get
      you
      off
      to
      a
      better
      start
      .
     
    

    
     
      with
      the
      woman
      of
      your
      choice."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rule
      14
      reads:
      "Don’t
      persist
      when
      a
      woman
      says
     
     
      no.
      Generally,
      do
      not
      ask
      twice."
      Another
      advises,
     
     
      "When
      you’ve
      made
      love,
      don’t
      run
      to
      your
      buddies,
     
     
      gossiping
      about
      intimate
      details."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Linda
      Shout,
      coordinator
      of
      UBC’s
      women’s
      centre,
     
     
      said
      she
      was
      appalled
      by
      Preinsperg’s
      comments.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "To
      have
      the
      president
      of
      the
      students’
      society
      start
     
     
      putting
      forward
      views
      that
      promote
      unequal
      power
     
     
      relationships
      is
      simply
      very
      dangerous,"
      Shout
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "(Preinsperg’s)
      premise
      here
      seems
      to
      be
      that
     
     
      everything
      that
      you
      do
      in
      a
      relationship
      with
      a
     
     
      woman
      is
      some
      sort
      of
      a
      pretense
      in
      order
      to
      let
     
     
      you
      get
      into
      bed
      with
      her.
      It
      sets
      sex
     
    
   
   
    
     
      up
      as
      the
      ultimate
      goal."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      his
      part,
      Preinsperg
      said
      he
      stands
      by
      his
     
     
      comments.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "People
      may
      not
      agree
      with
      my
      ideas,
      but
      I
      do
      try
     
     
      to
      make
      the
      world
      a
      better
      place
      for
      women,"
      he
     
     
      said.
      "There
      will
      always
      be
      people
      who
      feel
     
     
      threatened
      by
      this
      sort
      of
      honesty.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Preinsperg
      said
      he
      would
      like
      women
      to
      speak
      to’
     
     
      him
      in
      person
      about
      the
      article.
      "I
      doubt
      that
      many-
     
     
      women
      who
      have
      actually
      read
      what
      I’ve
      written
     
     
      would
      construe
      it
      in
      this
      utterly
     
    

    
     
      absurd
      way,"
      he
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      Shout
      said
      the
      views
      expressed
      by
      Preinsperg
     
     
      are
      threatening
      to
      women.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Women
      (come
      to
      the
      women’s
      centre)
      because
     
     
      they
      often
      find
      that
      the
      university
      community
      is
      not
     
     
      very
      friendly
      to
      women
      --
      both
      in
      an
      academic
      and
     
     
      a
      social
      environment,"
      she
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "When
      this
      sort
      of
      stuff
      starts
      coming
      out...it
      makes
      —
     
     
      it
      even
      more
      difficult
      for
      women
      to
      go
      out
      there
     
     
      into.
      that
      community
      and
      feel
      safe."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      She
      said
      there
      has
      been
      an
      overwhelming
      response
     
     
      from
      women
      at
      the
      centre.
      "Women
      here
      are
     
     
      certainly
      going
      to
      take
      this
      up
      with
      the
     
     
      Ombudsoffice,"
      she
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Some
      formal
      complaints
      have
      .been
      filed
      against
     
     
      Preinsperg,
      according
      to
      ombudsperson
      Carole
     
     
      Forsythe.
     
    

    
     
      Kathy
      Tait,
      the
      relationships
      columnist
      who
      printed
     
     
      the
      hints,
      introduced
      the
      column
      by
      saying,
      "How
     
     
      can
      I
      get
      a
      date
      with
      a
      woman?
      men
      continually
     
     
      ask
      me.
      Often
      they’re
      men
      in
      one
      of
     
    

    
     
      the
      best
      hunting
      grounds
      in
      the
      world
      --
      college
      or
     
     
      university.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      an
      interview,
      Tait
      said
      there
      was
      nothing
      sexist
     
     
      about
      the
      column.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      4,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      8