Despite protests from University of Maryland at College Park students who say the Bloodhound Gang's lyrics are offensive and damaging, the rock band will play a school-sponsored concert Friday.

The Bloodhound Gang, whose song "The Bad Touch" (RealAudio excerpt) is a hit on radio and MTV, came under fire last month when a group of students heard "Yellow Fever" (RealAudio excerpt).

The song, which includes the lyrics "I ride my slant-eyed slope like a brand new Kawasaki" and "She's like an oriental rug 'cause I lay her where I please," is off a rare 7-inch, a band spokesperson at Interscope Records said. Though it was never released on an album, an MP3 of "Yellow Fever" began circulating among students last month.

"I can see that they are merely a satirical group," said Tanya Lee, a spokesperson for the UMCP Student Group Coalition, which was formed to protest the band's appearance. "However, their songs are more damaging than satirical. They place minority groups back decades. ... These communities have been trying to expel such stereotypes and racial/prejudicial remarks."

Lee also is a member of the Asian American Student Union, which organized the coalition by informing other organizations — including the Black Student Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — about the Bloodhound Gang's lyrics. The coalition launched an Internet petition (www.dragon5000.com) to remove the band from the lineup of the annual Art Attack concert, which also will feature rappers OutKast and rock band Nerf Herder. The petition, as of Wednesday afternoon (May 3), had garnered nearly 700 signatures and several bitter comments.

The debate over the Bloodhound Gang has been aired in the pages of the campus newspaper, helping prompt Student Entertainment Events, the group responsible for booking acts for Art Attack, to hold a meeting on the issue. But the committee decided to keep the Bloodhound Gang on the bill.

A spokesperson for SEE was not available for comment, however the group released a statement that said: "After careful consideration of recent concerns, SEE has decided to allow the Bloodhound Gang to perform at this year's Art Attack. SEE apologizes for the personal offense bringing this band has caused some of our fellow students. However, after re-evaluation, we stand by the same reasons we chose this band to perform in the first place."

In previous statements, SEE said Bloodhound Gang were booked because of their popularity. The group's latest album, Hooray for Boobies (Feb. 29), will move from #21 to #19 on this week's Billboard 200 albums chart.

"The proponents of the Bloodhound Gang see their songs as being just satirical, but do not realize the harm that is caused to the communities being targeted — mainly communities that are stereotypically known for being silent minorities," Lee said. "I don't see them writing songs about 'niggers' or Muslims. And why? Because they know that they would be signing a death warrant if they had."

The coalition continues to seek signatures for its petition, Lee said, "to show the administration that there is a concerned community that is trying to make its voices heard."

The Bloodhound Gang refused to comment on the issue, though guitarist Lupus Thunder discussed the band's controversial lyrics during a recent interview.

"In the end, it's all humor — just us goofing off," Thunder said. "Some people would say we're sexist or racist, but we're not. It's not like we're like, 'Gay people — ooh.' I could care less. Whatever you want to do, do it. It's the same with religion, color of skin, whatever. It's no big deal. Just go out, have fun, live your life and enjoy yourself. That's pretty much all we're about."

In February, the Bloodhound Gang removed a scene from the video for "The Bad Touch" after the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation claimed it portrayed gay bashing.

The Philadelphia-bred group has recorded songs such as "I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks" and "A Lap Dance Is So Much Better When the Stripper Is Crying."