Complaints from BYU students, faculty and administration over advertisements in The Daily Universe prompted ads to be pulled Friday -- and it all started with the phrase, "I Can't...I'm Mormon."

The business, started by Chad Ramos, 25, a UVSC senior from Las Vegas, majoring in business and philosophy, began running ads in The Daily Universe at the beginning of Fall Semester.

Jim Kelly, general manager of NewsNet, said the decision to stop the ad stemmed from continuous complaints and editorial letters.

Carri Jenkins, BYU spokeswoman, said BYU administrators met with NewsNet Thursday and spoke about various topics, including the "I Can't ... I'm Mormon" advertisements.

"Opinions were given on the ad," Jenkins said, "based on what students were saying about the ad and letters to the editor. We've also been told there was a petition."

Joseph King, a freshman from Olathe, Kansas, told the newspaper last week that he would start a petition if the ads weren't pulled.

Among other things, the ads were found offensive for portraying a provocatively posed young woman modeling the shirts.

"I didn't come up with the idea," Ramos said. "The shirts are something that people outside of Utah have been saying for years at parties. The shirts, for me, are not something that I am creating and trying to get people to say."

While there are many phrases used within the Latter-day Saint culture to describe church activities and religious beliefs, Ramos' business venture suggests a few other terms that were not taught in Primary.

While the phrase "I can't ... I'm Mormon" may be commonly used by students and youth as a reason for not participating in certain activities, the controversy intensified with the printing of shirts with "DTR," "NCMO" and "VL," which are commonly know as "define the relationship," "non-committal make-out" and "virgin lips." T-shirts, sold on the Web site, icantimmormon.com, also list phrases such as "I've upped my standards...so up yours," "I date Mormon girls," and "I write missionaries."

"Some of the other [shirts] really have to do with the Provo bubble and the acronyms that you find here and only here," Ramos said. "It's not that anyone who wears it is saying 'I'm all about NCMO.' It's more about the unique culture that we live in. [The fact] that we have actually given a word or a phrase associated with the actions."

Ramos said Latter-day Saints living outside Utah are frequently in situations when they have to explain that their church teaches against certain activities. The "I Can't ... I'm Mormon" shirt is a way for these members to express their religious beliefs without further explanation, he said.

Contrastingly, many students are opposed to the idea -- and they aren't all from Utah.

Crystal Sorensen, 21, a junior from Clovis, Calif., majoring in clinical laboratory sciences, offered a different perspective.

"We should appear different by our actions, by our deeds, by what we do," Sorensen said, "not by clothes we wear, not because we are playing with little Nephi action figures and not because we have a shirt that says 'I Can't ... I'm Mormon'."

Those who oppose the business idea speak more negatively about the "NCMO" and "VL" shirts.

Sorensen shared an opinion held by other students who think the shirts not only incorrectly categorize LDS culture, but also publicize some religious matters in an inappropriate manner.

"People are wearing their religion on their sleeve and not in their hearts," Sorensen said. "It's not something you should broadcast. It's not something that needs to be seen by the world. It's like saying we are different but not being different."

Ramos said the initial investment for "I Can't ... I'm Mormon" was around $15,000; not a small price for a business selling only shirts. Ramos said the cost included inventory, legal fees, advertising and other related overhead.

Ryan Nelson, 22, a junior from Las Vegas, majoring in construction management, said he thinks the success of the business will depend on the attitude people have toward the shirts. Nelson had first-hand experience when he wore several of the shirts on campus to watch the reactions of other students. He said he received some smiles and some negative head shakes.

Customers can choose from 11 different shirts with a variety of messages. The shirts range in price from $15.99 to $17.99 and are only sold on the company's Web site.
Copyright Brigham Young University 27 Sep 2004