Iowa State’s Office of Judicial Affairs investigation into Cuffs

has resulted in an interim suspension of the group’s activities,

said the club’s president.

Cuffs is a student organization dedicated to educating the

campus about bondage and sadomasochism.

Bethany Schuttinga, director for the Office of Judicial Affairs,

said Harlan “Duane” Long Jr., Cuffs president and senior in

psychology, and Cuffs have not been accused of violating any

disciplinary regulations. Schuttinga declined to comment on which

regulations might have been violated.

According to section 5.5.3 of the Student Disciplinary

Regulations, during an investigation, the Office of Judicial

Affairs may place an interim suspension on an organization’s

privileges when the organization’s continued activity on campus may

cause significant danger to safety or campus welfare. A suspension

means the organization is denied university privileges and excluded

from activities on campus.

Schuttinga said she was unable to confirm or deny that a

suspension had been placed on Cuffs.

“We don’t release disciplinary action taken against any

individual or student group,” she said.

The judicial affairs office implemented the investigation after

concerns of possible student misconduct and violations of student

disciplinary regulations were raised following the Dec.15 Iowa

State Daily article “Pain and Pleasure: The stigma over Cuffs hurts

community.”

The article described an incident at a Cuffs meeting in which

Long flogged a clothed student club member during a demonstration

of how to properly use sadomasochistic toys for S&M purposes.

Long said the guidelines for the suspension were discussed in a

meeting with Schuttinga and Dean of Students Pete Englin.

Long said Cuffs is not able to meet, use university facilities

or spend group money during the suspension unless given special

permission to do so by the Office of Judicial Affairs or the Dean

of Students office. Long said the duration of the suspension and

time frame for continuing the investigation were also

discussed.

“[Cuffs] tentatively scheduled its first meeting of the semester

for Jan. 26, and I conveyed that information to Bethany Schuttinga

and Pete Englin,” he said. “I didn’t ask them to allow Cuffs to

have a meeting during the investigation because I foresee it to be

resolved by our first meeting.”

Englin and Schuttinga declined to comment on the meeting and

investigation.

Despite the interim suspension, Long said he appreciates the

Office of Judicial Affairs’ decision to implement the

investigation.

“I though it was a reasonable thing for the university to do. I

don’t think that we are being improperly investigated,” he

said.

Long said the university has a right to be concerned with what

they saw in the article.