The University of Utah’s Union Programming Council recently hosted a campus “Drag Queen Bingo” fundraiser.
The event was hosted on Nov. 6, and was posted to Instagram in coordination with the official union page on Nov 7. The post features photos of several different drag queens and students at the event.
The Union Programming Council, a student-run organization which works with the University of Utah’s A. Ray Oplin Student Union, sponsored the event.
“The Union Programming Council operates much like a student club, planning on-campus events and providing resources,” the university told Campus Reform. “The Union Programming Council has an advisor who works for the university and who assists in facilitating events that the students would like to put on.”
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The event is described as a fundraiser to support the Union Scholarship Fund, a program created to “ support historically underrepresented students to fund their education.” This program has provided students with $990,000 in scholarships since 2011.
The event was held in the Union Ballroom, a high traffic area for many students.
A conservative student expressed disapproval with the university for supporting such an event.
“My group, the College Republicans, do not like that the Union and the broader Union Programming Council would allow such a sexualized event to occur on campus,” said University of Utah College Republicans President Daylan Alzamora. “I believe that it is inappropriate to hold an event that is so sexualized in nature.”
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Alzamora explained that the main issue with this event is the hypocrisy between groups such as the UPC and groups such as his own. “They can host an overly sexual event while making money, and nothing is wrong with that?”
His main fear is that this sets a double standard for what groups are allowed to get away with at the university. “It tells my group of College Republicans that there is definitely a favorite group on campus, and it’s not us.”
Campus Reform contacted the Union Programming Council for comment and will update this article accordingly.
William Buckley is a student at the University of Utah studying Political Science and Communication with an emphasis in Journalism. He is the journalism coordinator for the College Republicans at the University of Utah, as well as a member of the YAF and TPUSA chapters. Will also enjoys playing in symphonies and social dancing.