Typically, college sex-oriented events have featured porn stars.

However, one New Hampshire institution has taken the next step in the “pornification” of our campuses. Campus Reform’s Timothy Dionisopoulos reports that student funds have been used to hire prostitutes for a conference.

The event, entitled “The Global Sex Industry: Exploring Transnational Feminism, Ecocriticism and Sex Workers Rights,” took place on April 16, and cost the school $2246.40, $1,161 of which came from coffers of student organizations that are funded by student activity fees, UNH Communications Director Erika Mantz told Campus Reform on Wednesday.

According to their website UNH student activity fees are mandatory.

The mini-conference featured speeches by strippers and prostitutes, some of whom were current and former UNH students, according to Foster’s Daily Democrat online.

Kitty Stryker a San Francisco based sex worker with a large social media following, created an online petition to thank UNH for bringing her and other prostitutes to speak at the school.

“I’d love to get one signature per dollar spent to ensure that sex workers actually got to speak for their own experiences when discussing the intersection of sex work, worker rights, privilege, and capitalism,” said the petition. “Will you help me thank UNH for giving sex workers like me a voice when so many would rather silence us?”

The Foster’s Daily Democrat also reported that students in the class were required to organize the workshop for a grade.

Mantz, the communications director, told Campus Reform in an email that UNH’s Women’s Studies Program, Queer Studies, Sustainability Institute at UNH, Memorial Union Student Organization, Voices of Planned Parenthood, and the Diversity Support Coalition, all served as sponsors for the event.

Greg Moore the Director of Young Americans for Prosperity New Hampshire acquired the funding breakdown for the mini-conference after filing a Right to Know Request.

Moore told Campus Reform he believes scarce student funds should be used for lowering tuition, not hiring prostitutes.

“The bottom line is that if twenty two hundred dollars is being used in the process those are funds that could be used elsewhere to keep tuition down,” he said.

“We think it’s an issue of priorities for the university and for the university system to demonstrate to the legislature certainly if you are going to ask for additional state resources that they first and foremost…are using the funds they currently have not just state funds but all funds as wisely as possible,” he concluded.