The student health group known as H.E.R.O.E.S runs on a budget of $66,000 per academic year. When it sponsored the sex toy seminar, promoted on Facebook, critics argued that it was a waste of student fees.
Organizer says the event served an important purpose. "There's a lot of things that students don't know about sex toys. There's a lot of safety measures they should take beforehand and we thought it was vitally important for them to know that," UC Merced Health Group leader Stephanie Toledo said.
"When it comes to funding, the UC always seems to ask for more but when money is spent on things like this, it sounds like maybe they're not really thinking, not getting their priority straight when it comes to spending," said Maurice Lewis with UC Merced College Republicans.
In the face of critics, the organization argues that students have a right to choose which events are important to them.
