Women to Picket Playboy Club In Protest of Alumni Meeting

For the second consecutive year, the Boston University Women's Center will picket the annual Boston University-Northeastern University alumni luncheon Friday at the Playboy Club.

"We don't see any reason why the alumni association should hold the luncheon at the Playboy Club when there are plenty of other good restaurants in the Boston area," said Debbie Kroes, coordinator of the women's center yesterday.

Robert Cumings, director of alumni affairs at B.U., said yesterday that the alumni clubs of both universities jointly decided on the luncheon's location based on the quality of food, service and price. Also, last year's large attendance at the Playboy Club influenced the alumni club's decision.

Both colleges' football coaches will speak at the luncheon which marks the beginning of homecoming weekend at B.U. and alumni day at Northeastern.

"The Playboy Club is definitely exploitive in the way women's bodies are used as symbols of the restaurant and the bunnies' uniforms themselves are exploitive in the way they look and fit," Kroes said. "women are objectified as sexual symbols," she said.

Cumings would not comment on behalf of the alumni association but said that he did not believe the Playboy Club exploits women.

"Last year there were about 20 pickets," Kroes said. "It did no good in terms of changing the luncheon's location, but it helped bring about the unity of the women students," she said. "I think there will be more pickets this year. There's been quite a lot of enthusiasm."

Cumings said that the eight to ten women pickets last year did not affect the alumni clubs' decision. "Other factors were stronger," he said. He said that some alumni did not feel badly about the location. Last year eight to ten women were at the luncheon and about the same number are expected this year.

Cumings said that the picketing is not expected to disrupt the luncheon or discourage alumni from attending.