University officials’ concerns about sadomasochism demonstrations performed at a student group’s meeting on the ISU campus has led to a investigation into whether the group violates Student Disciplinary Regulations.

University Judicial Affairs is conducting an investigation into what occurred at the Nov. 10 Cuffs meeting. Cuffs is a student organization dedicated to educating the campus about bondage and sadomasochism. At the meeting, the group’s president, Harlan “Duane” Long Jr. performed a demonstration on another member to show how to properly use S&M toys, said Bethany Schuttinga, director of judicial affairs for the university.

Schuttinga said the investigation was spurred by a Dec. 15 Iowa State Daily article “Pain and Pleasure: The stigma over Cuffs hurts community,” which provided a detailed look at a Cuffs meeting and featured a photo of Long flogging a clothed woman during the demonstration. Judicial Affairs is looking for more clarification to see if Student Disciplinary Regulations were violated.

“Actually striking a person is a violation, even if it is a demonstration. It’s like doing a demonstration on how to amputate a hand and actually amputating a person’s hand. You don’t do that,” said Thomas Hill, vice president for student affairs. “No matter how you describe it, the activity could potentially injure someone.”

Allowing these sadomasochism demonstrations to continue raises the issue of liability for the university, he said.

“[The university] is trying not to sanction activities that could result in a harmful situation for students,” Hill said.

“If they beat someone in the Memorial Union in line of a demonstration, that person is injured. Who do you think that person will sue? Duane Long? No, he doesn’t have any money, but the university does.”

He said the university hasn’t investigated Cuffs in the past because they were assured by the group that only discussions were taking place. Hill said he realized when he read the Daily article that the group had switched from discussions to demonstrations.

“If things had stayed the same, I doubt we would be having this conversation,” he said.

Long said demonstrations have been done since the group was formed in 2000.

“You need these demonstrations to provide information to increase safety. You need to have some experience and practice using them before you can safely use them in a real situation,” he said.

He said discussions aren’t as effective as demonstrations.

“Until someone actually sees the flogger in action and sees how it looks when it hits someone, you don’t really understand. Seeing it done makes it more concrete and real. Showing it, they learn better; participating they learn the best of all,” Long said.

Long said demonstrations aren’t harmful because actual S&M doesn’t occur in demonstrations. He said the intensity levels done during a demonstration are less than in a typical scene. Also, he said an S&M scene has the goal of engaging in some behavior for physical, psychological and emotional feelings — but the goal of demonstrations isn’t to bring about these feelings, only to show proper techniques.

“Nobody was harmed, and that wasn’t the intention,” Long said. “The article gave people a more in-depth look into S&M, and with that increased information, they may have jumped to conclusions. S&M is an area where people have a lot of misconceptions and misunderstanding.”

Schuttinga said judicial affairs has been working closely with Long, who has been very cooperative and helpful in providing an account of what happened at the meeting.

She said Long and Cuffs have not been accused of violating any of the disciplinary regulations, but could be accused if the investigation finds regulations have been violated.

She declined to comment on which regulations might have been violated. However, Long said he believes two specific regulations apply to the meeting: assault, injury and threat and hazing.

“I’m confident once I talk [Judicial Affairs and the Dean of Students Office] again, that they’ll see nothing improper happened at the meeting,” Long said. “I don’t have any significant worries that they’ll charge us.”

Long said if the university decides to mandate that the group stop its demonstrations, he and the group will comply with the mandate, but will continue in efforts to convince the university that it would be in their benefit to have demonstrations.