By CANDACE MIERS

Staff Writer

A chubby white guy in baggy clothes, glasses and tennis shoes began offending Tech students as soon as he walked out on stage last week.

The Union Board hosted seasoned comedian Redbone Oct. 12 in the Student Center, Main Floor.

"I think [Redbone] was a pretty funny guy," Dustin Hemperley, a Union Board member and a junior kinesiology and health promotions major, said.

"Without a doubt, he had some really funny material."

Redbone's material included "big people" jokes, racial jokes and sexual commentary.

His commentary has been heard on nationwide television stations such as Comedy Central and Black Entertainment Television's "Comic View."

Hemperley said Redbone's crowd had about 200 people.

"The crowd was one of the larger turnouts for a comedian," Hemperley said.

Not everyone in the large crowd thought he was funny.

"His so-called bathroom humor was just that and was worthy of a courtesy flush, maybe two," Christine Earhart, a freshman architecture major, said.

"He offended me as soon as he stepped out by cursing and grabbing himself.

"It was like he was making his best effort to offend everyone in the room."

It was not only his style that was unappreciated by Earhart, but also his jokes.

"He must have said the most ignorant thing that came to mind and called it a joke," Earhart said.

"It seemed like having him [at Tech] was a step back for cultural unity in our university."

Yet, Redbone himself stated how happy he was to see a mix of culture and people in the room for his show.

"He rattled off stereotypes about white people like there was no tomorrow, only, he was white," Earhart said.

The room was filled with students in rows of chairs, waiting to hear Redbones next "joke."

Other students sitting in the back at round tables were half silent and half laughing.

"There was definitely a divided crowd," Hemperley said.

Gerard Rome, a Union Board member and a senior mechanical engineering major, said he did not like or dislike Redbone.

"I thought he was funny, but he wasn't too original," Rome said. "Redbone's comments did go a little overboard."

While Redbone's originality was questionable, it was his manner that was unacceptable, Earhart said.

"No wonder it was free."