Controversy arose over the pin-up Cal Poly men’s water polo calendar as Cal Poly and the club team battled over how much skin is too much.
The calendar, which features photos of team members in their team uniform, was pulled from El Corral Bookstore shelves because it violated Cal Poly’s licensing agreement with a cover where the team posed without swimsuits and used only water polo balls as censorship. Though the El Corral calendar featured a with-suits cover, the team also published an alternate version to sell on its own.
Regardless of who sold the calendar, it was found to be in violation of licensing standards, and all water polo calendars were pulled from the bookstore Jan. 17.
The move was a surprise to water polo captain and mechanical engineering senior Connor McGill, who said he thought the two versions of the calendar were a diplomatic way of addressing Cal Poly’s objections.
“I was under the impression that we could have them printed, but we couldn’t sell them at the bookstore,” McGill said.
The water polo team has sold its pin-up calendar for several years now as a way to raise money for team expenses such as hiring lifeguards and paying for facilities. Traditionally, the players pose nude for the front cover.
This year the team shot two covers, one with and one without suits. The cover with suits was a back-up plan in case the semi-nude cover was deemed too risqué, said photographer and art and design senior Alex Silva.
“There was concern that it might get turned down, so that’s why we did an alternate cover,” Silva said.
Silva, however, said he sees no problem with the semi-nude cover, which is inspired by photographer Joe McNally’s Olympic water polo photo. Not only is it decent, but it helps the calendar sell, Silva said.
“I absolutely think it’s okay to sell it like that,” he said. “The important parts are covered.”
In the past, no one voiced any objections to the calendar cover, McGill said. The cover also did a good deal to help sell the calendar, McGill said.
“It’s an eye-catcher, obviously,” McGill said. “It grabs your attention right off the bat and it sells pretty well.”
This year, however, the team was told that the no-suits cover would not be allowed, due to Cal Poly’s new trademark licensing guidelines.
Cal Poly brought in legal experts to establish trademark licensing agreements last year, to allow the university to maintain a good image, dean of students Jean DeCosta said.
This allows Cal Poly to manage how the school is portrayed, DeCosta said.
“When someone uses that trademark, what message are you giving about Cal Poly?” De Costa said.
The message needs to be one focusing on the quality of the degree, DeCosta said, which is why sexually suggestive products are not allowed to be associated with the Cal Poly name, according to licensing guidelines.
The team, however, mistakenly understood that two different covers would be an acceptable compromise, but until the calendars with the partially nude covers are changed, the approved version of the calendar will not be sold at El Corral, DeCosta said.
“As long as there was that miscommunication, until that was resolved, the calendars could not be sold,” DeCosta said.
Cal Poly administrators are meeting today, Jan. 26, to decide whether or not the water polo team has complied with licensing guidelines. If they have, the calendar will be available at El Corral.
Meanwhile, time is ticking away to raise money for the team, McGill said.
The calendar is usually out before Christmas, and the team raises on average $2,000 from the sales, or about a 10th of their yearly budget, McGill said.
The new regulations have been time-consuming, and the calendar release will be far later than he had hoped.
“There’s just more red tape this year,” McGill said.
[poll id=”5″]