Perhaps this is part of Dartmouth’s goal to get away from its rowdy image, but a recent piece rips another school for a particularly tasteless “sexual scholarship” program.

The esteemed Swarthmore College apparently hosts an annual party called “Genderfuck” in which men dress like women and women wear very little. Before the party, the Genderfuck Planning Committee will be hosting workshops on crossdressing led by an “eminent and iconic local drag queen.” Alcohol will be provided at the event, and the drag queen will be performing at the party. Furthermore, Swarthmore College actually funds Genderfuck, which will take place on Saturday, April 26.

While we at The Dartmouth Review support gender equality, it seems to be a flagrant waste of Swarthmore’s money to be spending what is probably a fairly substantial amount on hiring drag queens for workshops. Certainly, Swarthmore and all colleges should provide social spaces and events for students, but colleges have no place funding an event so blatantly out of place in an institution of higher learning. Colleges are supposed to encourage critical thought and learning as well as meaningful interactions with peers. That definitely involves providing safe and fun social spaces, but it is difficult to see how workshops on crossdressing add any value to an institution.

The fact that a “Tips for Genderfuck” guide from three years ago admonishes partygoers to avoid being “cited for both alcohol and public indecency” certainly says something about the nature of the party. If a party is so debauched that it promotes indecency, it certainly opposes the goals of any legitimate educational institution and should definitely not be funded by one.

If the goal of a college is promoting inclusivity and promoting tolerance, Genderfuck certainly fails to achieve either of those objectives. Swarthmore has funded an event that does everything to be as exclusive as possible; it foists upon students a radical, narrow worldview instead of promoting free inquiry and discovery. Students should be provided the opportunity to question gender roles and decide, as individuals, how they want to live their lives. They should not be pushed toward this provincial understanding of gender.